Seiryoku
by TheWhiteRose112796
Summary: Sakamei decided to enroll at Konoha High School for many reasons: to live her life, to stop burdening her father and siblings, and most importantly to fight the disease that killed her mother. But she might find more than she hoped... SasukexOC. M later (Maybe). AU. DISCONTINUED FOR THE TIME BEING
1. Happy Beginnings

Sakamei Senju was always a quiet person, never uttering more than ten words a day, but when her mother Lanamei Senju, a famous singer known worldwide, passed away at the age of thirty from an unknown disease that affected her vision, just like Sakamei's, she knew she had to do more to reassure her father and older siblings that she would live her life to the fullest, even if it didn't last long. So she decided to enroll to Konoha High School.

This is my first story, and I am really nervous about putting it out. This is my only female OC because I like her so much. I hope you guys do too.

My OC:

Name: Sakamei Senju

Appearance: Floor length snow white hair, pupil-less eyes same color as hair (sort of shaped like Sasuke's, but girlish), light brown skin tone, average height

Personality: Speaks very few words, very kind but can be cruel at times, attracts people without knowing the reason why, drawn to dark and intelligent people, hates seeing others hurt in any way by another person if they don't deserve it

Theme Song _(yes she has one)_: Angels by Within Temptation

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its awesomeness.

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><p><strong>Chapter One: Happy Beginnings<strong>

Sakamei stood silently, waiting as her nineteen year old sister, Toph, tried to fix her long hair into a style that wouldn't result in it being stepped on as Sakamei walked down the halls of her new school. _Konoha High School, _Sakamei thought to herself. She had always been home schooled by her eldest brother Jux, who at the age of twenty-one spent his time teaching her all he knew instead of looking for a possible wife, which their father did not like completely.

Toph smiled at Sakamei in the mirror, her waist length white hair framing her glinting gray-blue eyes shining like their father's had when their mother would become so determined to get better at her English that she would repeat the word she had trouble with for hours without end until she ran out of breath. Sakamei returned her smile, but she couldn't help her brows from furrowing. She was nervous, and she hadn't even set a foot in the school.

"What do you think? I tried to do it just like Mama used to, but the chignon isn't as perfect as hers used to be," she said lips pursing slightly as she observed her work. Sakamei did the same. The chignon was slightly messy, but at least it was straight. The hair that could not fit into the bun was hanging loosely down her back, falling down to the back of her knees.

"It's fine, To-nee-chan," she replied. She then looked to her new uniform. It consisted of a solid dark vest, a white three-quarter button down collared shirt, a black tie, and a pleated dark gray skirt that Mika, her twenty year old brother, thought was "so short a six-foot tall guy could see under it". She sighed at her brother's protectiveness and smoothed the front of her skirt. It wasn't that short.

Toph placed her hands on her shoulders. "You look very presentable. Now that you are dressed we can go downstairs and get breakfast. Mato made your favorite." She continued talking, but Sakamei was too nervous to listen. She slid her hand along the wall, watching her foot fall on each step. She did this every time she came down.

Mato stood at the stove, wearing a pale green frilly apron without a care. As usual his snow white ponytail sat on his shoulder, and his signature smile was on his face, making it seem as if his eyes were completely closed. He turned to Toph and Sakamei as they entered.

"My, my, you look lovely," he said in his sing-songy voice. He always seemed to be happy, and Sakamei didn't think she had ever seen him smile once, not even at the funeral. Sakamei frowned to herself, but only for a fraction of a second before smiling and replying to Toph's twin.

"Arigato, Mato-nii-chan." She sat at the table next to Toph, across from a pouting Mika. He was still very upset about two things: Sakamei's decision to go to a public school and her skirt. "Ohayou, Mi-nii-chan," she said, offering him a smile. He stayed where he was, arms crossed over his chest and a sheathed katana in the crook of his arm.

"Ohayou," he said grudgingly, his messy white hair glinting in the light from the window. He hated not getting his way, and he now harbored two defeats. Toph began to speak when loud yawning came from the doorway. Krix, their eighteen year old brother with straight white hair, walked into the kitchen arms stretched above his head. He was a bit hyper, and the sweet dumplings he ate everyday didn't help one bit.

"Ohayou!" he said as he sat next to Mika. Everyone responded to him, except Mika replied. Krix, being as playful as he was, stared at Mika for a while, then, smiling, began poking him repeatedly in the cheek. Mika was his favorite target in the family, and he bothered him whenever he could. Mika's eyebrow twitched and Krix continued his act of bothering him. Everyone knew what came next. Mika jumped up and pointed straight at Krix.

"I WILL KILL YOU!" he screamed, as Krix's smile widened and Mato, smiling as usual, kept their angry brother from strangling the bothersome other.

"Hai, hai, Mika. That's enough from you, Krix. You've made your point this morning." Mika sat fuming as Jux walked into the kitchen, sitting next to Toph. He was the palest in the family, next to their father who was away at the moment, and his shoulder length hair was whiter than Sakamei's, his ocean blue eyes contrasting greatly. He was always silent, but when he spoke everyone listened. Though it didn't seem so, he offered a smile at times. He offered a greeting before slowly sipping the coffee Mato sat before him.

This was the daily routine at the Senju residence, only Sakamei was going to school for the first time.


	2. The Rumor Spreads

I really hoped for the first chapter to be more interesting, but you can't be happy with everything right? I'll make sure to do better in the next chapters.

By the way, wouldn't Sasuke be a hot professional break dancer? Well he is now!

The Rumor Spreads

Naruto ran down the hall, scarcely avoiding crashing into people along the way.

And then he tripped.

Sasuke, who had been intently reading a poster on the announcement board, looked up, his eyes widening as he saw a grinning Naruto spiraling towards him didn't have time to react and landed on the floor with Naruto on top of him.

"Get off you dobe," he said, as Naruto began to rise. "What are you smiling about?" he asked as he got off the floor too, rolling his eyes at his clumsy best friend. Before he would have knocked him in the head, but he wasn't in the mood. Naruto was grinning wildly, doing that weird laugh he did when he was excited.

"Iruka-sensei told me something very important," he said, slightly bouncing up and down. Sasuke rose an eyebrow.

"You mean about the new kid?" This caused the smile to fall of Naruto's face.

"How did you know? I thought I was the only one who knew!" Sasuke smirked at this.

"Everyone knows you idiot. It's gotten around the whole school. It takes you forever to come up with these things. What do you think Kiba was talking about yesterday?" Before he could continue, Sai came over with Ino on his arm, Sakura and Hinata close by.

"Naruto's always slow coming up. And that's not the only thing," Sai said with a smile. Naruto snarled at Sai like a wild animal.

"What's with you and my sex life!" Naruto yelled, making Sakura knock him on the head.

"You couldn't be any louder, baka!" she yelled, moving next to Sasuke. They had been dating for a while, and things were fine between them. Sakura was changing for the better…becoming more open, and her friends knew it was all because of Sasuke, but this was a completely different story.

Sasuke placed a kiss behind her ear, making her shiver slightly. He was never open with his relationships, but he did what he pleased when he wanted to.

"Sasuke_-kun_," Sakura whispered, slightly blushing. His response was another kiss placed along her jawline.

"Stop being nasty, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled, pointing at the couple. "No one wants to see you do gross things to your girlfriend. We'll all go blind!" Sasuke glared at the blonde.

"Stop watching, dobe. Maybe you should try getting a girlfriend of your own before commenting on what I have to stop doing. Plus, I'm sure Sakura is okay with it, right? Especially when I touch her here-"

"STOP BEING NASTY!"

Sakamei took a deep breath as Jux led her to the teachers' lounge. Her heart was beating faster than ever, and she gripped her brother's arm tighter. He looked down at her, and offered one his smiles that made non-related girls swoon at a glance.

"Imouto, if you squeeze my arm any tighter, you'll cut off my blood circulation," Being too deep in thought, she quickly released his arm, bringing out one of his rare chuckles. "I didn't mean it truthfully." Sakamei and Jux were the quietest in the family. Strangely enough, they spoke to each other more than they do with others.

Sakamei sighed. "Ju-nii-chan, I'm so nervous. I haven't been around many people my age or better yet people near my age, since they placed me in a higher grade." She was supposed to be going to the ninth grade at fifteen, but because she scored so high on the entrance exams, she was being placed in the tenth.

"I'm sure you will make plenty of friends. When I was in school-" Sakamei glared at him, making him stop and smile once more.

"That's different. You're beautiful nii-chan. Girls swarm over you all the time, and I'm pretty sure guys envy you all the time. And then those things added to the fact that when you perform with Papa your voice is perfect too…" At this his eyes widened, before stopping her.

"Sakamei, you're very beautiful too, a spinning image of our mother, and your voice is just like hers when you sing. You'll see when your day is over that you will be more popular than you would have ever imagined."

Before she knew it, Sakamei stood in the office of Principal Tsunade, a very…bodacious woman. Her eyes were very intimidating, but she hid her surprise from how Sakamei wasn't affected at all. She would have a hard time trying to find this girl out.

"Welcome, Sakamei. I expect you to be one of my top students. Each of your siblings were at the top of their class when they were here, although, you have more competition here."

Sakamei nodded, hoping she could live up to the woman and her family's expectations. "Arigato. Your greeting has helped me feel more welcome than I do." Tsunade nodded and her assistant, Shizune, handed her a map and her schedule.

"Here are your classes. The map should help you find your way." Sakamei nodded, and soon she was on her way.

Tsunade watched the girl leave. She had known Lanamei. They had been good friends truthfully. The girl looked just like her, and it took all she could not to go easy on the girl. She was very strict on her students because she expected so much from them. "Shizune, keep her brother notified on her progress. I'm not sure why, but he wants to keep an eye on her."


	3. Interesting Starts

As I said before, I think Sasuke would be the hottest break dancer ever! Naruto too! So I decided that as of now they are as of today, so I will try to play it in.

Interesting Starts…

Sasuke sat with a smirk on his face as Naruto tried and failed to stay awake in their first class. Because there was a "shortening" of teachers throughout the school district, GT and AP were mixed with regular classes, which made it very difficult to pay attention to what they were supposed to, or when the teacher was addressing one class or the other. Sasuke, in Advanced Placement, rarely paid attention at all. He and Shikamaru were too busy trying to toss paper balls in Naruto's open mouth.

"Naruto!" Aoba-sensei yelled, startling the boy awake.

"Closet pervert!" the boy yelled, startling awake. The class erupted with laughter as Naruto realized his mistake and accepted the detention slip.

"Now, as I was saying, we have a new student coming today, though she is a little late. I want you all to greet her respectively…"

Sakamei had been standing outside her Geometry II class for ten minutes now. Not because she was nervous, but because she wanted to listen to the students interacting with each other. She looked at her schedule once more:

Aoba Yamashira Geometry II

Kakashi Hatake Language Arts

Genma Shiranui Literature

Iruka Umino World History

*Lunch*

Anko Matarashi Physical Education

Orochimaru Chemistry

Kurenai Yuhēi Home Economics

Tokuma Hyuga Jutsu Mastery

Yamato Tenzo Shop

What is _Jutsu _Mastery? Sakamei thought there were only eight classes in school, but she ignored it when she realized she had instinctively raised her hand to knock on the door.

_I can survive one day in a crowded school, right?_ she thought, _I can do this. I'm not nervous at all._ The door slid open, and a man with a bandana opened the door. He smiled at her in a way she thought was creepy, and the first thing that popped into her head was _closet pervert_, but she ignored it as the man nodded to her and went back into the room.

"Students, your new classmate has arrived. Please welcome Sakamei Senju." Sakamei took one last deep breath and entered slowly, her eyes straight ahead as she stepped to the man's side. Whispers and gasps spread throughout the classroom all at once. "_She's hot!" _was one of the comments she heard because it was the loudest, coming from somewhere from the back of the room. "_O-ohayou_." She said slowly. _Don't stutter you idiot, _she thought to herself.

"Sakamei has been home schooled by her eldest brother, a star here in Konoha High School. She scored very high on her entrance exam and got moved up to the tenth grade. If only _some_ of you students would focus on school as much as she does." He shot a pointed look to the back of the room, but Sakamei couldn't see who.

As he continued to ramble about unimportant things, Sakamei took a look at the students in the front row. They were _staring_ at her. She looked down again as a slight whimper escaped her lips. Why was she acting like this? She wasn't nervous before. Mika had taught her to never show fear. Her whimper wasn't as quiet as she thought it had been, because she heard boys throughout the room saying things like _'she's so cute' _and _'she looks so sweet'_.

"Now where shall we sit her…?" Aoba-sensei said looking around the room. She thought she heard the guy who had called her hot whisper _'By Sasuke! By Sasuke!', _but she ignored it.

Sasuke turned to Naruto abruptly. "Why would I want her to sit by me, _baka_?" Naruto shrugged.

"Who cares about you? I want her to sit by me!" he whispered loudly.

Aoba-sensei looked up at Sasuke then. "That will do then. Sakamei_-chan_, have a seat next to Sasuke_-san_ there," he said pointing at the seat next to the boy. Sakamei swallowed.

"I cannot. I don't know where to go," The teacher frowned at her.

"Why not? I just pointed to the seat clearly." The teacher was becoming frustrated. He had expected more from the sister and pupil of his star student Jux.

"I'm legally blind, sensei. Therefore, I cannot sit where you have _pointed_ _to so clearly_," she said quietly looking at the floor. Surprise registered on the man's face as whispers once again ran throughout the classroom. They realized that this was the reason her eyes looked so strange. To tell the truth, Sakamei couldn't see ten feet in front of her. She always stayed close to the walls back home or held on to one of her siblings and let them lead the way. Everything she couldn't see stretched into the vastness of white.

"I did not realize this. Come, Sasuke_-san_. Show Sakamei to her seat." Aoba-sensei said quickly. She paid no attention to how flustered her teacher was. She gave him the explanation he wanted.

She heard evenly paced footsteps come closer and closer, until the boy's expensive looking shoes appeared before her. She looked up at him. He was a very nice-looking guy, pale skin and all. She liked his strange hairstyle, and how he left his vest unbuttoned, and how a he had a chain clipped to the side of his pants, sort of giving him a bad boy effect.

"Come on, then," he said as if he was annoyed by the mere sight of her. Offering her his arm once Aoba-sensei insisted, he led the way. She gently held his arm on his sleeve and let him lead her to the seat. Once he was seated next to her she thanked him, and then paid attention to the lecture, trying her best to listen to what the man was saying since she couldn't see him. She could at least remember what she needed to ask her brother about. She had just told the man she was considered _blind_ and he still sat her in the back of the room. Her day was starting of nicely, wasn't it?


	4. New Friends

New Friends…

Sasuke watched the girl closely throughout their shared day classes, which was every class. Her face had remained stoic, even as she suffered the embarrassment of having her teachers overreact about her having to tell each one about being legally blind. It turned out that they never read student files. Her blank yet determined face reminded him a lot of…his own.

The bell for lunch and the girl slowly rose from her seat, jumping when Naruto jumped in front of her.

"Hi! I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Your name is Sakamei, right?" He didn't even give her a chance to respond. "I could show you to your next two classes after lunch if you want. We might even go to the same one!" Sasuke thought that he would run out of breath soon, but he never did, so he took the initiative to smack him in the head.

"What are you trying to do, talk her to death?" Sasuke said. He looked at the girl. A slight smile played on her lips as she looked back at the blonde as he rubbed his sore head.

"Arigato, Naruto. I go to Physical Education taught by Anko Matarashi. After, I go to Orochimaru for Chemistry. Are you AP also?" Naruto smiled, taking in her proper speech, and also because of the compliment she had _sort of_ given him.

"Nah, I'm too cool for AP, but I do have those classes. There's a shortage of teachers here, so everyone has the same teacher for every subject." She nodded at this. "Sasuke's AP though, but he's more of a nerd. I bet you're loads more of fun." Sasuke smirked at him. The girl glanced at him as he did.

"Sakamei! Come on you can sit with us!" They turned to see Temari, a junior who happened to share their Geometry II class, called out to her, TenTen in her stead. Sakamei nodded. Sasuke knew she would fit in with girls like them. Even though she looked like the type to be all about makeup and clothes, her demeanor was completely different.

"Naruto, thank you for your offer. Do we meet after lunch?" Naruto nodded, surprising Sasuke. He was _blushing_ a little.

"Yeah, see you later." Sakamei nodded and left them. Naruto then turned to Sasuke when she was out of earshot. "I think she likes me." Sasuke rolled his eyes.

"How do you know that? She was probably being nice." Naruto scrunched his face up at Sasuke.

"You're just upset that she's not swooning over you like all your fan girls, Sas-_gay_," Sasuke grunted at him, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I told you to stop calling me that!"

Sakamei sat at the table between Temari and TenTen. She knew that she had found two girls she could actually get along with. They liked to laugh at people, and talk about how stupid guys are when they try to get a girl's attention.

Two people joined them at their table. One was SUPER tall and big, and the other…she couldn't tell if it was a girl or guy.

"Sakamei, this is Zabuza and Haku. They're a _thing_," TenTen said, pretending to shutter.

Haku smiled at her. "I'm a _guy_ by the way, but it's okay if you're jealous of my beauty." Sakamei smiled as he continued. "I'm a sophomore, and Zabi here is a junior." Zabuza's arms, which were already crossed over his chest, tightened.

"I told you to stop calling me that." Haku only smiled.

"But, Zabi, you know you love it. Don't you, Zabi?" Sakamei always found gay relationships interesting. She thought that they were so real, unlike male-to-female relationships. Her bookcases were filled with Shounen-Ai, which was _completely_ different from Yaoi.

She enjoyed spending time with her new friends. They made her laugh, and even though Zabuza was quiet, his presence was comforting. Jux was right. She had found friends that she could enjoy being with.

Naruto had been stuffing ramen down his throat, and Kiba was betting with Neji how many bowls he could get down. Lunch was nearly over, and Naruto was on his seventh bowl. He swallowed, nearly choking, and said "What do you guys think of Sakamei?" Most of them looked confused.

"They haven't seen her yet, Naruto," Sasuke told him. Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

"YOU GUYS HAVEN'T SEEN SAKAMEI!" He could be heard throughout the whole cafeteria.

"Naruto," the boy turned, nearly jumping out of his skin. He hadn't even realized that Sakamei had come over. Temari, TenTen, and Haku were with her.

"Are we taking Sakamei to gym or what?" TenTen asked. Naruto's eyes narrowed.

"Who invited you?" Temari smacked him on the head. Sakamei realized that happened a lot.

"Gaara, your sister's going to give me brain damage." Gaara shrugged at this, and Naruto tsked.

"Some friend you are! Sakamei, these are my friends Gaara, Kiba, Shikamaru, Neji, Rock Lee aka Bushy Brow, Choji, Sai, and Gaara and Temari's brother Kankuro." Sakamei looked at Kankuro, with his kitty hat and purple makeup…she liked him.

"Hello. Are we going, Naruto?" The boy nodded. The girls (including Haku turned and began to walk. Naruto turned to his friends, smiling maniacally.

"See how hot she is? Come on, Sasuke!" Sasuke, who had been in his own little world as he sipped his Vitamin Water, nearly choked when Naruto grabbed him by the collar and nearly dragged him out of the room.

"Naruto's such an idiot. We have PE with him too," Shikamaru said, lifting his head from the table. Choji nodded as he continued stuffing his face with chips. Naruto was so clueless.


	5. Screaming Fan Boys

I always saw TenTen as being lesbo and Temari being bi. I'm not the only one right?

…Screaming Fanboys…

Sakamei squeezed into the gold gym shirt she had been given. Not to brag, but she had a larger than average bust. The gym shirts weren't that loose either. It turns out that some guy named Jiraiya paid for the physical education program, and he was a bit of pervert.

_Ugh._

Once she managed to pull her shorts down as far as she could without themhanging off her hips, she joined Temari and TenTen at the water fountains. "_Oo la la, _Looky Temari, you can see Sakamei's bra through her shirt." Sakamei gasped, and Temari and TenTen laughed. They had admitted to her at lunch that they weren't completely straight, and Sakamei had to admit that she had seen one or two girls that she thought were _more_ than pretty.

The girls linked arms with her and led her into the gym. It was _huge_. Boys were on one half and girls were on the other. There appeared to be no teachers here yet, so Temari steered them towards the line separating the boys from the girls where Haku sat.

"Hey, Haku, check out Sakamei's boobs," TenTen actually poked her chest and Haku laughed.

"They're almost as big as Principal Tsunade's," Sakamei took offense to that. She knew they would be talking about her chest for a while.

Naruto watched as guys gawked at Sakamei. She was with Temari, TenTen, and Haku again. That wasn't much of a surprise. It was the fact that she was wearing the skimpy gym uniform his godfather had assigned to the girls. He was trying not to be one of the gawkers, but it was pretty hard.

Kiba joined him a few feet away from the line Sakamei and her friends were. "I swear you can see her bra through her shirt! I think I see...stars," Naruto wasn't sure if Kiba meant he was dizzy or he actually saw stars _on her bra_, but he managed to pull his eyes away from her cleavage.

"Maybe Pervy Author did do something that benefits us," Just then, Sakura and Ino called over to them. Sasuke, Neji, Hinata, and Sai were already with them.

"Introduce us to Sakamei," Ino demanded.

"Well, hello to you too, Ino," Naruto remarked. She rolled her eyes at him.

"We want to talk to Sakamei. We think she might be an awesome new friend. Her shoes were super cute right, Sakura?" They began talking about everything, including her uniform, which was exactly like their own.

"Fine, I'll introduce you. Just shut up already!" Naruto earned two hits this time.

"EVERYBODY HAVE A SEAT!" A woman's voice rang through the room. This must be Anko-sensei. Sakamei brought her schedule to the woman.

"Nice to meet you, Sakamei. I hope you enjoy physical labor," Anko-sensei allowed the girl to get back to place she was sitting before Gai-sensei continued.

"Today, my youthful students, we will begin with partner stretching. Pick any person you like. Ready…set…GO!" Even though he encouraged speed, he was used to the students taking nearly ten minutes to pick their partners, but this time there was a rush of boys, and half the girls, trying to get to Sakamei.

"_Sakamei, will you be my partner?" "NO, be my partner!"_ Sakamei began to panic.

"Um, Haku? _Haku!" _she managed to get out of the crowd of boys and get to Haku, hugging the petite boy as if she were a little girl who had just found her mother.

"I knew they would do that!" Naruto spat as he watched the crowd of boys disperse. Kiba patted him on the back.

"Don't worry, Naruto. Hinata doesn't have a partner." He pushed Hinata, who had been his partner, forward so that Naruto could get to her.

"Hey, Hinata! Let's go!" he said oblivious of the way the girl blushed as he grabbed her and nearly dragged her over to their friends. Sasuke was partnered with Sakura of course, who seemed to be mad at him for some reason as usual.

"Naruto, do what you said you would," she said angrily at him.

"Alright, alright. Let's go." Naruto led them over to Sakamei.


	6. And Old Dance Moves?

…And Old Dance Moves?

Sakamei sat with Haku as they waited for directions from their teachers. She looked up at Naruto as he led over Sasuke and some of his friends.

"Hi, Naruto, Sasuke," She said slightly smiling at the boys she had first spoken to today.

"Hey, Sakamei, Haku. My friends wanted to meet you. This is Ino, Sakura, and Hinata," The girls came forward.

"Hey, Sakamei," Sakura said. "We wanted to let you know that we _love_ your shoes and jewelry," Sakamei raised an eyebrow. She was the girly type. Sasuke's arm was lightly around her waist. She hadn't know that Sasuke had a girlfriend. Did she need to know?

Of course not.

"Thank you. I like your hair," Sakura smiled, and they continued to ask her about her clothes and crap that she didn't really care about. She really wanted to change the subject.

"Sasuke, TenTen told me you wanna be a professional break dancer. You too, Naruto, Kiba," Naruto and Kiba smiled, while Sasuke nodded.

"I don't think that's a real career," said Sakura. "You guys should think about things like being doctors and things like that," Sakamei frowned at this.

"Do you think I'm smart enough to be a _doctor_?" Naruto asked. Everyone laughed at this.

"What's wrong with dancing for a living?" Haku asked. "It's an awesome job right, Sakamei?"

Sakamei considered this. "It is fun. I come from a family of performers," She added nothing more. She didn't want to give too much away.

Ino nodded. "I knew your last name sounded familiar. Are you related to Lanamei and Zero Senju?" Sakamei was a horrible liar, so she told the truth.

"They're…they're my parents." Sakura and Ino jumped up.

"I can't believe it!" Sakura exclaimed. "They're famous on Broadway and doing operas." Sakamei nodded. "Did you ever perform?" Ino asked her.

"I used to, but I stopped so I could get into school."

"What did you used to do?" Hinata asked.

"Sometimes I would dance, like my sister. She does impromptu and ballet. Other times I sing like all of them. Papa says I sing like Mama," Sakamei said.

"Hey, what happened to her? She hasn't sung in a while has she?" Ino asked. Sakamei shook her head.

"She's just taking a break for a while," Sakamei had done it. She had lied about her mother's death for the first time. Other times she just kept quiet about it, but they had asked.

"Alright, students, grab your partners and we will begin stretching." Sakamei stood and hugged Haku. NO more thinking about sad things.

"Come, Haku. Let us stretch until we're as flexible as jello," Haku smiled.

"I thought jello was bouncy, not flexible." Sakamei blew a raspberry at him.

"Don't talk back to me, young man, or I'll tell Zabuza you're _desperately_ in love with me." She and Haku laughed as Naruto watched them leave.

"She's hot _and_ famous! What more could you ask for?" Sasuke watched her walk away. She was so different from the other girls. She was…

Quiet.

Smart.

_Beautiful._

Sasuke banished his thoughts right away. He was dating someone. He couldn't think about another girl that way. "Naruto, you're an idiot," Naruto frowned.

'What'd ya call me that for?"

After stretching for ten minutes, Anko-sensei made them go out to the track. "Eight times around for two miles. _I'm watching you…_" All of the boys were afraid of her. Even Sasuke avoided her when he could.

Before anyone could start walking, Kiba and Naruto began break dancing on the track, spinning and flipping and everything they could manage. The students gathered around them. Sakamei stopped walking with Haku and turned to Sasuke.

"Why aren't you dancing, Sasuke-_kun_?" He tried to figure out if she meant that they were close or if she was degrading him, but answered anyway.

"Those are old dance moves. They do that every time we come out here," Sakamei raised an eyebrow. Sasuke realized she did that a lot.

"Old dance moves?" She looked to Naruto doing the windmill, and Kiba doing the Jackhammer. She had never seen those before, but maybe it was because she hadn't gotten out much to see them.

"I bet you wanna learn don't you, Sakamei?" Haku asked. "I bet Sasuke would teach you," Sasuke looked at Sakamei who had tinted a little, but it quickly disappeared, but not fast enough for him to miss.

"Bye, Sasuke-_kun._ Let's go, _Haku-kun._" She gritted out quickly. She grabbed a smiling Haku and walked away. Sasuke watched her leave. She definitely was _beautiful._


	7. Silence Vs Stillness

Silence Vs. Stillness!

Today had been a long day, but Sakamei was happy to say that she survived it. She was tired out of her mind. She stood outside of the school, waiting for Jux to pick her up when she heard two familiar voices.

"Sasuke-_kun_, you're not even listening!" Sakura said, trying her best to keep her voice down.

"What did I do this time, Sakura? You never tell me why you're mad at me before, so why should I listen now?" Sakura and Sasuke walked out of the school. Sakura could barely keep up with him and his fast, long strides. She grabbed his arm, her head down.

"Sasuke_-san_, I think that we should break up. I don't know if it'll be forever or for a while, but I just know that we need a break from each other. Sakamei could see them now, only they were too far away, but they were surrounded by a fuzzy white light, and the rest was white light. Sasuke turned back his eye showing the first emotions she had ever seen from him: shock and hurt.

"Sasuke, I don't know what it is, but I haven't felt the same about you in a while, but I still love you Sasuke, our relationship just isn't the same. I'm sorry, Sasuke."

Sasuke looked away. His eyes were completely blank again. "If that's what you want, Sakura, then there is no need to apologize. I can't force you to stay in a relationship that you're not happy with." Sakamei felt for the both of them. Sasuke had looked so hurt then, and Sakura looked so confused.

"Bye, Sasuke. Talk- I mean, see you tomorrow." With that she walked away, and Sasuke stood where he was, his eyes downcast and his face stoic.

"How long are you going to stand there, Sakamei?" Her eyes widened. He had known she was there? She walked from around the side of the school.

"I wasn't ease-dropping or anything. I was just waiting for _ani-ue._"

"Hm. I don't remember asking you that." Sakamei narrowed her eyes at him. Sakamei made a slight hissing sound, something Sasuke would have made himself, and continued to wait in silence. Sasuke glanced at her still frame. She was so still, as if she were a statue. She was so…_at peace_. They both stood silently.

_Silence Against Stillness._

_Who would win?_

Silence lost this battle.

"What's it like?" Sasuke asked. Before he could elaborate, Sakamei spoke, as if she knew what he was going to say.

"I see white. It's calming sometimes, but other times the white seems so empty that it's dark. It's unsettling. I feel alone and afraid. Not even my brothers and sister can comfort me. I try not to think about it, but sometimes I realize that _I can't see_, and I-" She stopped herself from continuing.

"I can't see ten feet in front of me." She stopped talking then. Sasuke never would have guessed she felt that way. She looked so calm and _free._

"So you feel misunderstood?" Sakamei's lips tilted up at the sides.

"That's part of it, yes," They stood in silence once more, but it was comforting. Sasuke had somewhat of an understanding of who she was, and that was enough for now. A white sports car suddenly pulled in front of the school. Sakamei stepped forward, then stopped and looked at Sasuke.

"Next time you tell me something about yourself." Sasuke smirked at this. She couldn't force him into doing so.

"Bye, Sakamei," The car door closed and pulled off. Sasuke watched it until it disappeared out of sight.

_Sakamei._


	8. Guess What!

Guess What!

Sakamei noticed that Jux had been chewing his lip since they left the school.

_Does it have to do with Sasuke?_

"Ju-nii-chan, what's wrong?" She wished she wouldn't have asked,

"Uchiha Sasuke, does he like you?" Sakamei's eyes widened.

"Of course not! We just met. Plus, he just broke up with his girlfriend. How do you know him?" Jux's eyebrows rose as he paused at a stop sign.

"His brother is a friend of mine. And how could I forget that hair?" Sakamei smiled.

"Are you jealous, _nii-san_? Your hairs always been too soft and girly to style like that." She chuckled when he puffed his cheeks out like a child when they didn't get their way.

"You're just mad because my hair is prettier than yours," he said running his fingers through his shoulder length white hair. Jux had always thought that his hair was his prized possession, next to his voice.

"Of course it is, _nii-san." _They soon arrived at their home. Sakamei had missed her home. She even missed the smell of her brother's coffee, even though she _hated _coffee with a passion.

"Ah, _Imouto, konnichiwa_, Sakamei~," Mato sang. He was currently trying to keep Mika from strangling Krix who was holding a little black kitten.

Krix smiled at Sakamei and Jux. "Imouto, Ju-nii-chan, Mika bough a little kitty cat. Can't we name it Kin?" Mika growled- literally _growled_- at Krix.

"The damn cat is black, not gold you idiot! I'm naming it Kuro!" His fingers were clawing inches from Krix's face, yet their brother still smiled.

"Let Sakamei decide. That's the best option." Jux said. Mika stopped struggling, but when Mato released him he took the kitty away from Krix. "What name do you want Saka…mei…?"

The boys could since a sort of dark chakra coming off of Sakamei. Her head was down, and her hands were in fists.

"Cats are…evil," she said. "Get rid of it." Krix groaned.

"Aww, but, Omouto, it's so cute and cuddly. And Mika spent a lot of money on it too." His voice was all whiny and high-pitched.

Mato patted her head. "Don't worry, Sakamei. I'm sure it will like you." She shook her head.

Jux frowned, his brows furrowing. "Why don't you like cats, Sakamei?" She took a deep breath.

"BECAUSE CATS COME INTO YOUR ROOM WHEN YOU'RE ASLEEP AND _STEAL YOUR SOUL__!_"Everyone except Sakamei sweat dropped at this. Then, all at once, they turned to Krix. His sweat drops doubled as he raised his hands in defense.

"_Etou_…she was…four when I...told her…?" He turned, took a deep breath, and took off screaming as Mika chased after him.

"Sakamei," Jux reasoned. "I don't think that cats can still your soul." He picked up the kitten and walked towards her. She jumped back. Krix had told her. He said when cats had yellow eyes they had taken over one hundred souls, and the kitty was one of them.

Mato moved forward too. "Sakamei, it's a nice kitty-"

"_LIES!_"

* * *

><p>Two Weeks Later<p>

Naruto opened the front door to see Sasuke. "What did you call me here for?" Naruto opened the door to let him in, grinning.

"Guess what! My dad's going to Ame for a few weeks," he whispered. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "The guys and I decided that we're-"

"Not going to throw any parties or cause anyone any trouble. Right, Naruto_-kun_?"

The boy turned and frowned at his father, Minato Namikaze, mayor of Konoha. "Come on, dad. You trust your only son more than that, don't you?" Minato stared at his only child for half a second, then turned to Sasuke and smiled.

"Hello, Sasuke_-kun_." The boy bowed in response, watching Naruto's jaw drop and nearly touch the floor. "I'm sure you will restrain Naruto from doing anything stupid, won't you?" Sasuke actually smiled at this. Believe it or not, Sasuke was the one who influenced Naruto to throw parties.

"Of course, Minato-_sama_. You can trust me,"

_Most of the time._

"That's good to know." Minato began listing off things for Naruto to remember. The boy was still in sulking in his own little corner.

"Oh, and Sasuke, Naruto…" The boys looked up at the man, who had a knowing smile. "I know how much you enjoy parties, Sasuke, so I'll make sure to have Jiraiya_-san _come over every now and then. _Ja!"_ Naruto and Sasuke stood mortified. How had he found out about that?

Come on, Naruto, or are you going to stay in your little emo corner?" Naruto growled. He turned and pointed at Sasuke.

"OH SHUT IT! YOU'RE JUST UPSET THAT YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR EMO CORNER TO YOURSELF!" Sasuke growled right back at him.

Sakamei sat in her room, looking at the pale green and white walls. She had been in school for two weeks now, and she was doing better. She just had to ask Jux to show her to do certain things she had missed because she couldn't see the board in Geometry II. The colors were the same opposite each other. She had a wooden floor and a large pale green carpet on it. Her bed was a step above the rest of the floor, and was level with it. Her bed spread consisted of a pale green blanket and white, silver and pale green silk pillows. Her dressers were white, and her vanity was pale green. Her curtains were made of silver lace also, and so were her lamps and trimming.

She was listening to Whispers in the Dark by Skillet, one of her favorite songs when her cell phone rang.

_Softly we tremble tonight_

_Picture perfect fading smiles are all that's left inside_

_I said I'd never leave; you'll never change_

_I'm not satisfied with where I'm at in life-_

Sakamei found her phone then. It was Haku. When she answered it wasn't his voice she heard, but a creepy old woman's.

"_Hello, my dear. I have a message for you_…" Sakamei was seriously creeped out as the woman continued. "_My love, are you listening? Do whatever you can not to look out the window-"_ Sakamei's eyes widened as she something pushed through her window, cloaked in black. She screamed, falling off of her bed and onto the floor. She heard laughing as her bedroom door opened and Temari and TenTen walked in, Haku's phone in hand.

"We pawned your ass!" Temari laughed as Haku stood by the window, removing the mask and cloak he had been wearing.

"You were in on this, Haku!" She had never expected him of all people to do something like this. He was snickering, trying his best not to laugh, but failed miserably.

"I'm sorry, Sakamei. I-it was just too tempting!" She stuck her tongue out at them as they laughed even harder. She regretted letting them stay over for the weekend.

"Don't worry. I'll get all three of you back when you least expect it." They stopped laughing then. The look on her face must have been freaky enough. "Sooner or later…"


	9. Old Losses, New Starts

Old Losses, New Starts

Sasuke watched with Gaara as Naruto and Rock Lee forced each other do eat and drink disgusting concoctions they mixed from food out of the kitchen. His thoughts were on Sakura and Sakura only. His fists clenched. She had started dating this guy named Sasori or something.

"Hey, Sasuke, come on! You have Sakamei's number don't you?" Sasuke looked up at Naruto.

"Don't you have it too?" Sakamei had become very popular at Konoha High, but Naruto was proud to flaunt around the fact that he and Sasuke were close friends with her, only Sakamei got along with guys a lot, and a lot of guys who wanted to be her _friends_ that she trusted had her number, which was mostly every guy at Naruto's house now.

"Yeah, but I kinda lost my phone somewhere in my room." Sasuke rolled his eyes as he tossed Naruto his phone.

"What are you calling her for anyways?" Naruto smiled.

"She's supposed to have Temari and all her friends over there. Let's see if they wanna join us." Naruto pressed _SEND_ and put it on speaker phone. All was silent. She picked up on the second ring. Awake and Alive by Skillet and Lava blasted through the phone before she paused it.

"Since when have you called me?" They knew right away that she was referring to Sasuke. Naruto shrugged.

"He loves you, Sakamei. He just doesn't want to admit it-"

"SHUT UP IDIOT!" Sakamei heard Sasuke's voice through the speaker and knew she was on speaker phone. So were they.

"Hi, Naruto-_kun._ How's your little slumber party of boy bonding?" He groaned. He hated when she called it that.

"It's fine. How's your transsexual sleep over." Temari and TenTen heard this.

"Expect the beating of your life Monday, Naruto!" they said at the same time. The boy winced.

"I'm on speaker phone?" Sakamei laughed falsely.

"Aren't I too?" Naruto hated how intelligent she was sometimes.

"The guys and I wanted to know if you guys wanted join our party." They could hear other voices from the guys.

"We're still waiting for Sakura, Ino and Hinata-" Temari interjected.

"You invited the pretty bitches! You could of just invited Hinata instead." TenTen nodded at this.

"That's not nice, my pet. We must be kind to one and all. Even the pretty bitches," Sakamei said in a proper speech. TenTen continued in the same tone.

"She's right, dearie. As MSI stated, 'Bitches love me because they know that I can rock, rhyme, and fuck'. It comes naturally." The girls laughed at each other. Naruto and the boys were becoming annoyed with their joking.

"Are you coming or not?" The sound of a door opening and closing came through the phone.

"I don't know, Naruto. I think Haku is having too much phone flirting with my older brothers." Haku's loud _'WHAT' _sounded through the phone as theylaughed_. Again._

Sakamei could probably sense their irritation. "Okay, Naruto. I will ask my brother Jux if we can come over or not, but I doubt they will. I have four brothers, y'know?"

"Four HOT brothers! Right, Haku?" Temari added, making the said person groan.

"I wonder what Zabuza will think of this," TenTen said.

"Don't tell Zabi! Don't tell Zabi!" Sakamei laughed.

"I'm going, boys, I'm going." They heard feet descending down the stairs. "Jux-_nii-chan,_ you remember Naruto, right?" They heard a chuckle.

"The loudmouthed blonde?" Sakamei laughed.

"That's not nice, Mika, but yes." Another voice answered. It was more…established.

"Of course I do. He called me a girl," The guys surrounding Naruto laughed.

"Well, he wants to know if we could go over to his place and join his friends." Laughter could be heard through the phone.

"That's a no, Naruto. Mika doesn't like boys under twenty-one, even though he's nineteen." A long, fancy doorbell rang. "That's Sakura and the others." Soon there was more speaking. "Naruto-_kun_, Hinata says_ hi~," _she sang through the phone, making said girl shriek. "Anyways, boys, the girls would rather flirt with my over-aged brothers who could end up in jail. I have an idea."

Naruto waited as she told Sakura, Ino, and Hinata where her room was. "_Nii-chans_, could they come over here? They could sleep in the spare rooms. We have five, don't we?"

"As if that would ever happen," Kiba grumbled.

"Hey, Ju_-nii-chan_," a different voice said.

"What is it, Krix?"

"Can we name the kitty Kuro or not?" They heard an animalistic growl, then running.

"Sakamei, it's fine if your friends come. I need to make sure Mika doesn't kill Krix now." His voice was alarmingly serious.

"So that's a yes. We'll be there soon!" With that Naruto hung up. "We're going to Sakamei's house!" The boys were cheering, and Sasuke rolled his eyes as Gaara voiced his thoughts, equally annoyed.

"Did you get her address, _baka_?" The room went silent as Naruto redialed Sakamei's number.


	10. Paaartaaaayyy!

Paaartaaaayyy!

Sakamei stood by the mirror with her friends, comparing pajamas:

Sakamei's consisted of a yellow tie up top with Spongebob's happiest facial expression and matching bottoms with lots of different facial expressions and blue trim

Temari's consisted of black satin pajama bottoms with a matching spaghetti string top

TenTen's consisted of a large green t-shirt and black shorts stopping mid-thigh

Sakura's consisted of, of course, a pink top with gray hearts and gray bottoms with pink hearts

Ino's consisted of a purple top with green and yellow stars and matching bottoms

And lastly, Haku's was a simple white sweat shirt and black basketball shorts which made him look completely straight and _'doable_' according to Temari

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang, and Jux opened the door to thirteen teenage boys.

"Hey, Jux-_san_. Long time no see, huh?" Jux looked at Naruto as he spoke. Now the boys knew why Naruto had called him a girl. He was flawlessly _beautiful._

"Hello, Naruto. Not long enough, I think." Just then, Sakamei pushed past her brother and greeted the boys with a smile.

"Hi. Be careful with your bags when you come in, and watch out for Mika. He's the grumpy one by the fireplace." She led them in, letting them remove their many shoes. Most of the boys were fascinated with the house. It was large, and had a cream-theme to it. They stopped at a large living room with many nice looking sofas and an even larger fire place. "Introduce yourselves to them," Sakamei whispered to them. Jux joined two men on a sofa. They watched them closely. "Well, fine. I'll introduce you."

Sakamei moved forward. "Boys, these are my brothers Jux, Mato, Mika, and Krix in order of age." Her brothers all greeted them at the same time. It was creepy.

One by one the boys introduced themselves. The only person who took his time was Sasuke. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. Nice to meet you," he said bowing. Krix jumped up.

"You're Itachi's brother! Remember Itachi, Mika? He kicked your butt that day when you told him you could kick _his_!" Mika stood from his place at the fire. The flames seemed to rise with him.

"Is he holding a katana?" Naruto asked quietly.

"Sakamei nodded. Don't worry. He's never unsheathed it, but then again he did when Toph started dating. The boys were silent as Krix continued to smile at his irritated brother.

"Mika-_nii-chan,_ remember?" Mika's eyes appeared red instead of the gray-blue eyes that all of her siblings had.

"Krix, I'll…kill…you!" Mato grabbed Mika then, smiling still.

"Sakamei, take your friends upstairs. I'm sure Mika might decide to come after them soon." Sakamei nodded to Mato, then made the boys follow her. "You guys are staying in the guest rooms. You can put your bags in one of these rooms." She pointed out five different rooms. Once they finished, she led them to her bedroom.

Haku and Temari occupied the bed, looking at Sakamei's magazines, while TenTen, Sakura, Ino, and Hinata went through her walk-in closet. Temari sat up.

"Oh my, the entertainment has arrived. Get out your singles, ladies," she smiled as the boys came into the room. It wasn't crowded at all because her room was so large. TenTen came and joined the Temari and Haku on the bed. "I must come out of the closet," she said pointing towards the door. "None of you guys spark my interests, but Sakamei certainly does."

Sakamei grinned as she joined them on the large bed. "Yes, yes. I am quite beautiful, don't you agree?" Naruto went straight to the stereo going through her music on her iPod. Each boy interested himself in something different. Soon Naruto and Sasuke found a playlist of songs they thought would be fine.

Without You by David Guetta and Usher was the first song to play. After a couple of minutes the sleep over was wild. People were dancing a flirting, and Sakamei was pretending to be drunk and trying to convince Haku to dance with her. After allowing Temari to drag Haku into the middle of the room to dance, she went to see what was going on around the room. It turned out the Kiba had left a crimson Hinata to "dance" with Naruto, who was doing a weird dance with his knees bent, pointing left and right in time with the music. She smiled at the couple, then turned and bumped into Sasuke's arm.

He looked at the slightly shorter girl. "Don't know your way around your own room or something?" Sasuke asked. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm not used to having a huge guy stand in the middle of it. Having fun?" Sasuke's eyes drifted to the left quickly, but not quick enough for Sakamei not to notice. She looked where he did, at Sakura, who seemed oblivious of her ex being in the same room as her. She knew it was affecting Sasuke greatly.

Dance with me," she said offering him her hand. He raised an eyebrow. "Are you afraid? You let Hinata beat you," she said gesturing to the shy girl who was now allowing Naruto to teach her what he thought was the box step, a couples dance.

She knew Sasuke hated to be compared to other people. He took her hand and led her to the group of dancing people. The song Lighters by Eminem and Bruno Mars was playing now. This was one of Sakamei's favorite songs. Sasuke took both her hands in his. "I'll teach you something simple. I think it's the only thing you could handle." Sakamei smirked at him.

"Try me, emo-Nemo," he narrowed his eyes at her. It was the nickname she gave him when he upset her.

"Do as I do," he said. He simply crossed on foot in front of the other, then stepped out with the foot in the back, jumping slightly. He continued to do this with one foot, then the other, keeping pace with the heartbeat in the song.

Did he really think she was stupid?

"You don't think I could do something that simple?" She glared at him and a smile played on his lips. He stepped forward boldly, so that their bodies were mere inches apart. He leaned forward.

"I don't know. You'll have to prove me wrong." She stepped back slightly, though she might have had to force herself.

"Fine let's start." The song was at its chorus in the beginning because someone, probably Naruto, had put it on repeat. They waited patiently for the real beat to come in. Sakamei kept her eyes down, avoiding Sasuke's intent gaze.

The beat came in before she knew it, and Sasuke started right away. She hadn't been paying attention. "Confused?" he asked with a smirk. She shot him a glare.

"Start again." He counted them in, and this time she got it right. She started and stayed with him. She smiled, but she watched her feet the whole time.

"Look up at me. You're focusing on your feet too much," he told her. She didn't want to look up at him for many reasons. One reason was because he was watching her the whole time. He gave up. "I'll teach you something else for the chorus. Hear the violin in the background?" She nodded. "Do this."

He sort of slid to his left then did a sort of twisting movement, slightly bending his knees. Back and forth he went, until she stopped him. "We'll put it together now. For the first chorus, sway left to right, starting with my right, then for each verse the first move I taught you, the second verse is the slide and twist, and the last chorus is the sway again. Understand?" He took the confused look on her face as a no. "Just let me lead." She did as he said, following him once the song started again.

She found it easier to remember as he led her, starting with the sway, then moving into the first step he taught her. He was light on his feet. He reminded her of her father when he taught her their favorite dance. Once they moved into the second chorus he smirked at her. "You're actually getting it." She stuck her tongue at him and he transitioned into the verse again. She nearly missed it, and he _did_ notice.

"Keep up," he said, making her scrunch up her nose at him. She had to admit that she liked dancing with Sasuke. She looked up for the first time as the song began to end. Sakura was watching them. She released his hands, trying to act as if she was just releasing his hands, but he knew it was more. He looked around the room, and then his eyes fell on Sakura. She looked away and he turned back to her. Before he could say anything, the lights came on, and Toph, who just got home from a day out with a _friend, _called out to her. "Sakamei, introduce me to your friends! You never told me you were having anyone over. Shame on you!" Sakamei tried not to gape at her sister in her short night gown.

"Toph-nee-_chan," _she said through gritted teeth. "I'll introduce you tomorrow when you don't look like a stripper!" Her friends laughed at this, and Toph smiled.

Sakamei swore her sister was as clueless as Mato sometimes. "Okay! Don't forget, Imouto!" Sakamei watched as her sister turned the light back off and closed the door.

"Sakamei, your whole family is made up of pretty boys and beautiful people. I wonder how your dad looks," Naruto said as others agreed.

"He-he's…handsome…" was all she offered.

"That means he's prettier than Sasuke!" Sasuke made a _tch_ sound.

"What's that supposed to mean, _baka_?" Naruto and Sasuke continued to go back and forth, and Sakamei was glad to have Sasuke's attention off of her, but she knew he would never live it down.


	11. Stillness Comforts Silence

Stillness Comforts Silence

Naruto smiled at Sasuke for a while now. Everyone was taking turns changing in the many bathrooms in the house, and Naruto and Sasuke had been lucky enough to get in first.

"What the fuck are you smiling about, dobe?" Naruto's smile widened.

"You like Sakamei," he stated this instead of asking. Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him.

"I never said I liked her. You're obsessed with her," he replied. Naruto continued to smile, styling his hair. Sasuke had always thought he just rolled out of bed with his hair that way.

"Whatever, Sasuke, believe that and it'll come true eventually." Sasuke rolled his eyes and began to remark.

"Sasuke_-kun_." Sasuke and Naruto turned to see Sakura. She wore a yellow knee length sun dress with white sandals.

"I'm gonna leave now," Naruto quickly left the room, leaving the ex-couple alone.

Sasuke waited for Sakura to say something, but she was taking too long. "Did you need something, Sakura?" She looked up at him abruptly.

"Right, I just wanted to know how you were doing?" she said, fidgeting with the hem of her dress.

"I'm fine. How are you, Sakura?" Sasuke was becoming impatient. Even though she had acted as if she still wanted to be friends she hadn't spoken one word to him.

"Look, Sasuke. I wanted to let you know that I still think about you, and I really do care about you. I just think we needed a little break from each other, y'know?" Sasuke sighed.

"Sakura, you told me the day we broke up that you didn't know if this "break" would last forever or for a short while. So now you want it to be a _short break_? Make up your mind, sweetheart. I can only take in so much," Sakura frowned at this.

"I meant that we _should _take a break from dating, Sasuke," she said, confusing him even more.

"I'm pretty sure you meant a break from dating _each other_. You've spent a lot of time with that grad Sasori haven't you?" Sakura gasped. "Did you think I wouldn't notice? I'm considered a _genius,_ Sakura." Sakura was trying to collect her thoughts.

"So you're dating Sakamei now aren't you?" she spat at him. He smirked at her.

"Sakamei and I are friends. She helps when I can't stop thinking about you. Does that answer your question?" Sakura was silent. Sasuke grabbed his bag. "I'm gonna go now." He was nearly out of the room when he stopped. "I hope Sasori makes you happy, Sakura." With that he left her to her own thoughts.

Sasuke joined Naruto, Gaara, Kiba, and Shikamaru in the kitchen with Sakamei and her siblings. The one he thought was named Mato was serving fruit salads and omelets. Each time Shikamaru looked at the smiling person he seemed to be drained of the little energy he always had. He was so _happy._

"Look, its Itachi's brother Sasuke," Krix said smiling also. Sasuke tried not to show the fact that he _hated_ being compared to his older brother.

"Ohayou! I'm Toph, Sakamei's sister." Sasuke bowed to her, and then sat next to Naruto. Toph smiled once more. "Jux-_nii-san,_ did you notice how quiet he is? All of these boys are so nice. Do you like any of them, Sakamei?" Sakamei frowned as Mika sat next to her, directly across from the boys.

"_DO_ any of you like my Sakamei?" Mika seriously freaked out a lot of people, including Sasuke.

"Mika-_nii-chan_, are you _trying_ to ruin my life?" He nodded once and she glared at him, and then turned to the doorway as more people joined them in the large dining room. Toph made sure she met everyone, and Mika made sure he made sure none of the boys admitted their feelings for their youngest sister.

Sakamei sat silently on the patio as one by one friends waited for their rides. Some decided to ride home with each other, but Sasuke's brother insisted he come and get him so he could talk to Jux for a while.

He was the last one here. Sakamei held her knees to her chest as she waited with him in silence. Sasuke looked bothered by something. His face wasn't blank as usual, but quite complex.

"Sasuke-_kun_." Sasuke looked up suddenly, as if surprised that she was there.

"I guess your presence was so comforting that I forgot that you were here." He snickered at himself. "It's strange how I can forget myself so easily." Sakamei knew there was a lot on his mind. She moved next to him on the porch swing, even though she hated swings because she was afraid she might hit the pole or another person, but that wasn't important now.

"What's wrong, Sasuke?" she asked. The boy shook his head and sighed.

"When Sakura was watching us last night, why did you pull away from me?" Sakamei wasn't expecting this, but in some way, she was.

"I don't know. You guys just broke up and everything-"

"It's not like she cared at all. She's dating another guy." Sakamei's eye's widened a bit. He sighed once more.

"Sakamei, I cared about Sakura. I made sure I did all I could to make her happy. I wasn't using her or anything like most people think I was. How could I? She had given me her…her innocence after all." Sakamei was surprised that he told her this. It was the most that he had ever spoken to her about.

"I wanted to make sure that if we ever did break up she wasn't hurt, but she ended things with me instead. I never thought that I would be so shocked over someone. I actually felt…hurt." Sakamei without knowing placed her hand on his arm, making him look up at her.

"I've haven't expressed my feelings to anyone but her…and now you," he said, his eyes darkening slightly.

Sakamei inhaled sharply as he moved closer, his lips inches from hers. It was happening. Sasuke would be the first person she had ever-

Sasuke and Sakamei pulled away from each other abruptly as the front door opened and Jux came out. "There you two are. Itachi is here." Sasuke and Sakamei looked at the black sports car that they hadn't noticed stop in front of the house. Sasuke watched as his older brother got out of the car. He walked up the drive and greeted Jux, who smiled for the first time since Sasuke had been there.

"Itachi-_san_, it is nice to see you again," Jux said as both men greeted each other as if they were long time best friends.

"You too, Jux-_san_. It seems as if it's been years." The two eldest sons of the family continued to talk as Sasuke loaded his bags into the car. He stood next to Sakamei once he finished. She was blushing slightly, and he found it extremely cute and innocent. He would hate to ruin that.

"Sakamei," he said quietly. Sakamei looked at him warily. "You comfort me more than you know. Thank you." Sakamei nodded. She didn't think she could find her voice right now.

"We should leave now. Let's get in touch more often, Jux-_san._ Sakamei-_chan_, it was nice meeting you. You're a very beautiful girl." Sakamei thanked Itachi for his compliment, and Sasuke was obviously irritated. "Let's go, Sasuke-kun." Sasuke followed his brother to the car, his hand slightly brushing against Sakamei's as he did.

Jux and Sakamei watched their car pull away, and then Jux turned to her. "What were you two talking about out here?" Sakamei blushed, looking away.

"Nothing _nii-san_. We were just talking.

Sakamei's cheeks reddened once more when she thought of how close Sasuke had been to kissing her. She had comforted him though. That was enough for now.

_But just for now._


	12. Yura Yura

Yura Yura means wavering. It's the name of one of the Naruto openings, and it's exactly how Sakamei felt when balanced between life and death.

Yura-Yura

Sakamei sat straight up in bed, she couldn't control her breathing. Her vision was blurry, mixed with the blinding white light and reality. She tried to crawl out of bed, but she hadn't noticed that she was at the foot of it, and when her hand landed on nothing she tumbled onto the floor. She tried to catch herself, but instead landing on her wrist. An aching pain sprang out of it and she made a small shriek. She tasted copper, thinking she had bit her tongue.

But she hadn't.

She began coughing uncontrollably. She felt a warm liquid spray onto her arm. It was too dark to see what it was. She couldn't call for her siblings. The coughing wouldn't stop. She tried to get to the door, even if she had to drag herself. She could barely move and inch. The white she saw began to flash, making her feel as blind as she was before. Her breath came out labored, and when she tried to inhale she choked on more blood.

The white kept flashing faster and faster. Her body felt light-

_Weightless. Her body felt as if it were floating between the living and the non-living._

_Yura-Yura._

Sakamei woke up in a room full of white, and she started to think that she had gone completely blind. She then saw a hand placed on hers, and looked to her side to see Toph, her head resting on her arm as she slept.

She then noticed the hospital band on her own arm. She was in a hospital. Only then did she realize the hospital gown, and the sound of the heart monitor. She had an IV in her right arm, connected to a bag of clear liquid, and a white cast on the other. White was her favorite color.

"T-Toph," she tried to say, but her throat was raw. Her coughing had made it completely sore. Toph stirred then, slowly sitting up. She then looked at Sakamei, and her eyes began to register where she was. She jumped up from her chair, wrapping her arms around Sakamei tightly.

"_You're awake! We were so worried about you, Sakamei_!" she exclaimed. Sakamei took a second to realize that Toph was now speaking in Japanese. This was rare for Toph and her twin, Mato. The only members in their family who spoke Japanese occasionally in their home were their father, Jux, and Mika.

"_I'll go get everyone else! Stay right here!_" Toph ran out of the room. It seemed she hadn't yet realized that she had an _IV_ in her arm and was way too weak to even move a finger.

Toph returned shortly with their brothers. They're faces all looked the same: full of worry and relief. Krix sat next to her on the bed, smiling, though his eyes still looked sullen.

"You're awake,_ Imouto_. You've been out for two days," he said. So it was Tuesday now. She let out a shaky sigh as Jux continued.

"The doctor says you shouldn't talk much for a few days. You should be able to go to school Thursday." Mika nodded.

"You scared us to death you idiot," he said crossing his arms over his chest. He was trying to keep his cool demeanor, but he was failing miserably. Mato's smile wasn't as bright as usual, and she could see his gray-blue eyes fully.

"Yes, Sakamei, we were quite worried about you, but now that you're awake everything should be just fine." She tried to offer her siblings a smile, but the effort took the little strength she had. She was so tired. She struggled to keep her eyes open; at least long enough to see how much her siblings cared for her.

"Where is she?" she heard someone ask. The voice sounded so familiar. "I need to see her. _Now_!"

"Father's here. Did you call him, Jux?" Toph asked. Sakamei's eyes wouldn't open now. The voices around her seemed to fade as she fell asleep.

_Once more._

Sasuke's leg shook slightly as he looked around the classroom. He sat at his desk, ignoring the conversation Naruto and Kiba were having about what they planned to do for Spring Break. He had more important things on his mind.

_Like Sakamei and why she hadn't been in school at all._

Naruto tapped the desk he sat on in front of Sasuke. "We're worried about her too. I planned on calling her house today 'cause she wasn't picking up her phone at all, even when Temari and TenTen called. Think I should?" Kiba shrugged when he looked at him.

"I don't know. Do what you want." Kiba and Naruto smiled at Sasuke.

"I'm sure he's called her plenty of times, Naruto," Kiba said. Naruto nodded.

"I bet her call log's full of the name _Sasuke_ over and over." Sasuke narrowed his eye. They were trying to get to him. Sure he had called her a_ few_ times, but not enough to seem suspicious.

_Right?_

It's not like she was trying to avoid him and was feigning sick to keep from seeing him.

_Was there?_

_No._

He was making things worse than they seemed. She wouldn't avoid getting a proper education just to get away from him.

His thoughts were interrupted when Naruto turned on the Bunsen burner a little too close to Kiba's jacket and set it on fire.

Jux watched as his father gently placed Sakamei in her bed. Zero looked as if he hadn't aged since his singing career had begun when he was sixteen. His gray-blue eyes, straight nose, and smooth-looking lips were what he passed down to all of his children, except Sakamei. She had their mother's small nose that slightly turned up at the tip, and her full lips that couldn't help but stay in a smile, and most important of all, her pure white eyes that hid no emotion in the slightest.

"_T__ō__-san_," Jux said, slowly approaching his father. His father looked up at him, running his fingers through Sakamei's hair. She had woken up once more, long enough to talk to her father for less than a minute, but it was enough time to see the tears he had so unwillingly shed.

"_I don't think I should let her go to school," his father replied. _Though he spoke very fluently in English, he preferred Japanese any day. "_She isn't capable of it._"

Jux shook his head. "_She loves it, Papa. She has so many friends now, and they make her happy. Her friends care for her a lot._" Zero's eyes widened at this. She hadn't been in school long, but he knew his eldest son would never lie to him.

"_Her doctor says her vision has gotten worse. The ten feet she had been able to see before has now reduced to nine. And if she gets too excited she'll go into another coughing fit. It's just not safe."_ Jux could not keep his father from doing as he pleased.

"Papa," Sakamei's voice caused their father's eyes to widen. He turned to her slowly. "I want to stay in school. I can't leave now. I'm so used to it now, and I don't bother Jux or Toph or Mato as much as I used to. They have time to themselves now. I don't bother them anymore." Jux couldn't help but feel surprised.

_She thinks she bothers us?_

"Sakamei," they're father said, his voice smooth and deep. "I want you to be happy, but I want you to be safe too." She nodded.

"My friends can help me. Just don't take me out of school. I'll do anything, Papa, please!" She was talking so fast that she was bringing on another coughing fit. Their father nearly panicked, doing all he could to calm her down.

"Okay, I'll let you stay in school, but I want to meet your friends. I want to make sure that they'll truly take care of you." Sakamei nodded. Jux left them to talk, knowing that they deserved the time together.


	13. An Unwanted Welcome

I wanted to add a new character this time, a male. Expect him soon!

An Unwanted Welcome

Sakamei fiddled with the hem of her skirt. She was going back to school. She didn't know what to expect from her friends. She hated talked to them at all. She had over sixty missed calls:

22 from Temari (and text messages about sneaking into her bedroom and stealing her panties so she could tape them around the school)

13 from TenTen (and text messages about strangling her in her sleep and then selling her organs to her creepy uncle who wants to be a doctor)

12 from Haku (and worried voicemails asking if she had been kidnapped and "ravished" and left to die in a gutter somewhere in Suna)

15 from Naruto (including panicked voicemails about her being kidnapped because and she wouldn't be able to make the ramen she made for him when he was upset)

And lastly 5 from Sasuke, which surprised her the most, even though he left no voicemails or text messages.

She knew she was going to be in a lot of trouble.

Sakamei walked out to the courtyard in the middle of the school where her friends met before classes. As soon as she stepped out, all went silent. She blushed as all eyes turned to her. And then-

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!" Sakamei was now surrounded by people, questioning and ridiculing her. Haku was near tears, his arms so tight around her neck as he told her how much he missed her, and TenTen was so close to choking her that Neji had to hold her back while suffering hit after hit from her.

Naruto, because he was weird like that, had his arms wrapped around her hips, blabbing about how he almost missed her as much he loved ramen and that was a lot because no living thing could ever _replace ramen_. Only a few people held back:

Shikamaru, because he was too lazy to admit he missed her

Gaara, because he was a loner like that

And Sasuke, because he would rather ignore what was happening around him than voice his worry.

Soon the craziness died down and Temari made Sakamei explain the cast on her arm. She wouldn't tell them more than that.

"I woke up one night because…I wasn't feeling well, and I my room was _so_ dark so when I tried to get out of bed I fell and landed on my wrist. So now it's shattered and…yeah."

"You're so clumsy. How troublesome," Shikamaru stated lying back down on the bench. Haku spoke up then.

"But why did you need so many days off?" Sakamei had expected this question.

"My dad is back from his tour, and he was worried about me so he wanted me to stay home for a while. He still isn't very happy about me going to public school yet." Sakamei was relieved that they didn't ask any more questions as Haku signed her cast with a _very_ girly script in silver sharpie, letting Temari and TenTen follow suit. Soon her cast was nearly filled with messages and names, until Sasuke was the last to come over.

"You would think that you would be able to get out of bed without falling on your face," he said, signing his name very nicely in cursive above Naruto's messy script.

"Oh shut it, Emo Nemo. Why don't you go and make out with Saku-" She stopped herself. She had almost forgotten. "Sasuke, I didn't mean-" Sasuke's eyes had widened a fraction, and then narrowed dangerously.

"That's something I would have expected from Naruto, but not you. Enjoy the rest of your day."

"Sasuke, wait! I didn't-" He left her alone in the courtyard. She hadn't meant to at all. She cared about Sasuke. She would never mean to hurt his feelings personally. She left the courtyard and began looking around for the smallest trace of him when three girls stepped in front of her.

The girl in front had red hair and even redder eyes. She pushed her glass up her nose then crossed her arms over her flat chest.

"You're Sakami, right? I would like to welcome you back to school, but also give you a little warning. I've noticed you've been spending a lot of time with Sasuke-_kun_."

Sakamei rolled her eyes. Not another one.

"You're welcome is unwanted. Now tell me, fan girl, what's this warning you wanted to give me?" Karin's nostril's flared at being called a fan girl.

"Stay away from Sasuke. He belongs to me. No one will stop me from getting to him. Understand?" Sakamei's lips lifted at the sides.

"Make me," she said making Karin stand a little straighter. She tried to respond, but no words came out. She walked past Sakamei, bumping her shoulder purposely.

Sakamei sighed. She needed to find Sasuke. The first bell rang, and she hadn't gotten her books yet. She rushed to her locker to grab her book and hurried to Geometry II. She took her normal seat between Naruto and Sasuke, only Sasuke wasn't there. She asked Naruto where he was, but he hadn't even noticed he wasn't there because he and Kiba had been trying to make a house of cards.

She sat back in her seat, thanking Shikamaru for offering to take notes for her since she was left handed and incapable of moving her wrist. She tried her best to pay attention to the class and not get overly emotional when Neji perfectly impersonated Sasuke's voice to answer for role. She had to find him.

Sakamei was now sitting at the lunch table with Haku and Zabuza as they waited for Temari and TenTen to get their food. She wasn't very hungry now. Sasuke hadn't been in any of their classes, and she was worried. Haku noticed how quiet she had been.

"What's wrong, Sake?" Haku had taken the privilege of giving her the nickname of his father's favorite drink to pass time.

"I-I need your advice." She hadn't old anyone about how she and Sasuke had nearly kissed. "I said something stupid and now Sasuke is upset with me." Before she could continue Haku's spoon hit the table. He stood, his palms hitting the table.

"You like Sasuke!" Sakamei shrieked as her overly exaggerative friend announced her feelings to the world. Zabuza grabbed Haku around the waist, gently pulling him back down.

"Thanks for that, Haku. I'm sure everyone heard you." Haku looked apologetic as she continued. She told them what happened out in the courtyard. Haku frowned and Sakamei wasn't sure if Zabuza was listening.

"He wasn't in class at all today? Maybe he's skipping with some girl, or-" Haku stopped when he remembered that Sakamei liked Sasuke and didn't want to think about him sneaking off with _some girl_.

"I think I saw him go up to the roof," a deep monotone voice startled Sakamei. She looked to Zabuza, who had never spoken a single word to her before. "Aren't you gonna check if he's there?" Sakamei realized that she was staring at the silent teen.

"Thank you, Zabuza," she said as she stood, just as Temari and TenTen sat down.

"Where the hell are you going?" Temari asked. Haku answered for her.

"She's in love with Sasuke," Temari and TenTen's jaws dropped as Sakamei stepped away from the table.

"I-I'll tell you guys later," she said as she quickly left the room. She went to the stairs leading up to sophomore floor, going past the junior and senior floors until she reached the roof. She closed the door quietly behind her, inhaling the cool spring air as she looked around. She walked around for a while, but he was nowhere to be found.

Sakamei began to give up. Maybe he did leave.

"What are you doing up here?" the soft monotone voice asked, full of resentment. Sakamei turned.

Sasuke sat on a platform high off the ground. The look on his face dulled as she remained silent.

"Are you going to just sit there or bother me with the reason you came?" Sakamei found her voice quickly.

"I came to apologize. I really didn't mean to say what I said. I just-"

"Oh, sure. You've apologized before, remember? I just don't care. Now leave me," he laid back down on the platform, acting as if she was no longer there.

"You know, Sasuke, don't try to act like you've never made _a mistake_ before. Is Uchiha Sasuke too _perfect_ to do that? I think you've spent too much time with your fan girls. Your heads a little too big for our own good. Don't say I didn't warn you when your neck snaps and you realize you won't always think you're as perfect as you do now."

Sakamei turned to leave, but she jumped when Sasuke jumped down from the platform. His eyes looked _red._

"What do you know about me?" I've only known you for three weeks and you think that you can judge me?" Sakamei's face fell, but quickly became stoic once more. "What about you? You think everyone likes you just because you're nice. I'm pretty sure nearly all the guys here just talk to you so they can get a chance to screw you."

Sakamei stood straighter. "How do you know that? What if they really _do _just like being around me?" Sasuke smirked and scoffed at her as if she were ignorant.

"Because I _know_ all of them. You can't even imagine what they say about you." Sasuke watched as her defenses began to fall, but she held fast.

"Not all of them are jerks like you. I know it. I know Naruto isn't." Sasuke laughed at this.

"Naruto began it all." Sakamei's shock and hurt fell through. She couldn't believe him. Naruto was really her friend.

_Wasn't he?_

She couldn't let Sasuke get to her.

_But he was._

Her friends were the reason her father was letting her stay in school. Naruto would never do anything like that to her.

_Would he?_

Sasuke noticed the panicked state she was in, and he slowly moved his arms from his chest when Sakamei sat and took a deep breath.

"Are you okay?" When she answered with a coughing fit, Sasuke began to worry. He had meant to upset her, if only for a while, but this wasn't the outcome he expected.

Sakamei felt something wet in the hand that covered her mouth. She pulled it away, dreading what she knew she would see.

_Blood._

Sasuke saw it too. His face was no longer blank, but nearly as panicked as hers.

"Sakamei, I-I need to get you to the nurse!" Sasuke moved to her side just as her vision flashed white, then faded to black.


	14. Stillness Creates Silence

Stillness Creates Silence

Sasuke sat impatiently in the waiting room as he waited to find out if Sakamei was okay.

They had made him sit through the last half of school, monitoring his every move. They found out he had been skipping class, with the help of his friends answering role for him. And oh, the trouble he got in when a teacher found him carrying an unconscious girl down from the roof.

As soon as school let out he and Naruto had gone straight to the hospital, hoping they could find out what had happened.

"Sasuke." Said boy looked up, only to see his elder brother, Itachi with Sakamei's brother Jux.

"What are you doing here?" Itachi sighed.

"The school called me and told me that a teacher found you coming down from the roof with Sakamei, who was completely unconscious. What is going on?" Sasuke didn't feel like explaining. He tried to collect his thoughts silently. Itachi took this as disobedience.

"Sasuke, do you know how lucky you are that mother didn't answer the phone? Or better yet, father?" Sasuke placed his melded fists to his lips, resting his elbows on his knees.

"I know that, Itachi." His thoughts were on Sakamei. He didn't care about his father at the moment.

"Just tell me what happened." Naruto had been curious too. He hadn't asked, but Sasuke had told them on his way here. Of course, he had been upset with Sasuke for saying what he did, but he would make sure Sasuke apologized.

"I had skipped my day classes, and during lunch Sakamei came to find me. I don't know how, but she found out I was on the roof. We had and…argument and she had a panic attack or something. I hadn't realized what was happening until she started coughing, and I regret the cruel things I said. I hadn't meant for that to happen, just to get her to leave me alone. I didn't hurt her physically. I swear. I just-" Sasuke knew he sounded like the worst person in the world right now. He just wanted to get the thoughts out of his head.

"I don't believe you would do anything to hurt her, Sasuke," Jux said. Sasuke had never spoken to him before. "Sakamei, she has a strange...disease that was passed down from our mother. It's ruined her vision, and her coughing isn't something that doesn't happen regularly. My father worries about this, and wants to remove her from the school. If he thinks he doesn't trust her friends she'll be taken out, and we don't want that." Naruto nodded.

"Is he taking her out?" Jux sighed.

"He doesn't know that she's here. It seems that he forgot something very valuable. He's going to be gone for a few more days. I've never been able to keep anything so important from my father, but I guess this will be the first time for my sister's happiness. Do you two want to see her? She should be awake now."

Sasuke and Naruto both looked up at the same time, nodding. Jux led them to her room. Sasuke had to take a deep breath before following Naruto into the room.

Naruto was already at Sakamei's side. "Sakamei," he said quietly, sounding like a small child as he smiled down at her.

Sakamei returned Naruto's smile, though she looked paler than usual. She looked…unhealthy. "Naruto-_kun_, you're here." Her voice sounded weak.

Naruto answered her, his smile growing. "I had to make sure you were alive so I could copy your chemistry homework," he whispered very loudly, making her laugh. Sakamei's eyebrows furrowed.

"That homework was due last week," Naruto laughed.

"_Pft_, I'm too cool for homework. They have to schedule an appointment to be turned in." Sakamei smiled at Naruto, placing her hand on his. Naruto ran his fingers through her hair. "Hey, Sasuke's here too," he said, not noticing the way her eyes widened in shock, then narrowed in wariness. He must have thought she was tired.

Naruto looked back at Sasuke, who still stood by the closed door. Sasuke slowly made his way to Naruto's side. "HI, Sakamei," he said slowly. The girl was looking away.

Naruto remembered what Sasuke had told him about their argument on their way to the hospital. "I'm gonna go wipe out the food court now. Sasuke," he mumbled to the dark hair boy. "Make sure you fix this problem. I can't believe you did something so _stupid_." Sasuke's eyes widened at Naruto. He was usually the one saying this to Naruto.

Once Naruto left the room, Sakamei and Sasuke sat in silence for a few minutes. Sakamei hadn't looked at him once.

"Sakamei, I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said, and if I could I would take back everything I said. Most of it wasn't true at all." Sakamei was still silent. Sasuke began to panic. He couldn't lose her comfort.

"Sakamei, I overreacted when you…you made your mistake, and I've realized that I've made an even bigger one. I did always look down on people, especially Naruto, and he was supposed to be my best friend. I've never paid attention to my own mistakes, always watching what others have done. I've realized that I don't deserve the praise I get from people who think I'm better than another person. I've noticed that the people who care about me, like Naruto and my brother, Itachi, they've never compared themselves to me, yet I've always strived to do better than them. I don't deserve their friendship, and I would have never realized this if you hadn't shown me how vain I was. I understand that you don't want to speak to me." He hadn't noticed that Sakamei was watching him now.

"I wouldn't want to take that burden either." Sasuke realized that he had been so vain until now. He had always believed that he would have everything he had now: his family, his friends, and the many girls who gave their all to get next to him only to have their hearts shattered by his indifference.

He turned to leave her, but a hand clasped weakly around his wrist. Surprise registered on his face as he turned to look at her. She closed her eyes, then opening them once more.

"It wasn't true?" Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. He shook his head, deciding to elaborate.

"Not with our friends. It's the guys that we aren't around as much. Those are the ones who try to do things like that. But our friends, Naruto, they would never do anything like that to you. I-I would never…do that…to you." Sakamei was silent for a few seconds.

"Do you forgive me, Sakamei?" The girl was silent for a few seconds.

"I forgive you, Sasuke." He released a relieved sigh.

"Thank you, Sakamei." He hadn't known that she was holding his hand now, though her grasp was weak.

A nurse came into the room, saying she needed to give Sakamei her medicine. Sasuke began to leave the room, and only then did she realize that she had been holding his hand.

Naruto had been ease dropping on Sasuke and Sakamei the whole time. He had been looking forward to them getting together. Now it was time for him to decide on what he would do next.

He jumped back when Sasuke exited the room, being told to leave by the nurse. Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him, but did not question him.

"Guess what! The doctor says Sakamei can come back to school Monday. Jux says we can't visit her during the weekend though, but we can call.

Sasuke listened to his best friend ramble on and on, going from Sakamei to School to Hinata and how she always turned red when he tried to talk to her.

His friend was clueless, but he was his friend.


	15. Starish and An Overly Large Chest

I;m thinking about making it a Uta no Prince-sama crossover because I love their songs, plus they're superhot ;). I'll only mention them if you guys don't like the idea, but Sakamei's family is famous, so why not include other famous people?

Story Drama: I had like up to chapter 50 finished, but my laptop died on me. I can't remember much of anything, but I know there were a lot of nothing going on, like the Jutsu Mastery class, relationships and people other than Sakamei in the hospital *gasp!*. I want to try to play in as many things as I can remember into the story because it was so awesome!... at least to me it was.

Thanks to Gaara''sWife for being my first reader and reviewer! You are so awesome! Oh, and by the way, I LOVE HUSH HUSH TOO! Crescendo is my favorite so far, but I haven't read the others yet. I think you'll like it too!

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, Sasuke would have killed Sakura when she hesitated to kill Karin in Shippuden because I HATE her with a passion.

* * *

><p>Starish and 'Too Much In the Chest Area<p>

Sakamei, sitting at the teacher's desk, peeked up from her spiral and watched in amusement as TenTen tried and failed to release Haku's grip on his long hair.

"Just let me see your hair, Haku! It won't hurt if I comb it a little!" she said as she pulled at Haku's fingers.

He rose from the chair he sat in and ran around the classroom, TenTen right behind him.

"LIES! It always hurts!" He spoke the last word as if it were a disease you could catch just by speaking it.

"You are so tender-headed, Haku. Stop being such a girl...no wait, even I don't wimp out like that. Stop being such a wuss!"

Haku rushed past Sakamei as she rose, nearly causing her to spill the pages of her tattered notebook.

Haku stopped when he peeked out of the classroom door. "Zabi, save me!"

TenTen pouted as Zabuza entered the classroom, taking a seat in the back corner of the room where Haku soon joined him, triumph in his girly eyes.

"Zabuza, wouldn't you want to see Haku with a new hairstyle? Every guy wants a little variety from his mate every now and then. Want that from your girlfriend?"

Haku growled. "_Boyfriend_! I'm not a girl!" TenTen only laughed, causing her to get a face full of Haku's sweater.

"You little bitch!" she laughed as she began to go after Haku, who hid behind a silent Zabuza.

Sakamei began to put her spiral away when Temari pounced on her, knocking her back into the chair and stradling her waist.

"Looky what I found," she said, waving a CD in front of her face. Sakamei's eyes widened.

"No way! Where did you get this?" Temari only shrugged.

"I stole it." Sakamei's eyebrow rose, but she did not question her friend.

She looked back at the cd. Starish was a boy band consisting of six guys who were hot beyond compare.

Even the dark Temari couldn't resist screaming when she found out that the boys were coming to Konoha.

TenTen joined the girls taking the CD case carefully as if it would break." Their CDs are sold out everywhere!" She sat on the desk and placed her legs on the arm rests of the chair Sakamei and Temari sat in.

Temari rolled her eyes. "Babe ,that doesn't mean that I wouldn't be able to steal it."

Sakamei sat back in the chair and rested her hands on her stomach when Temari showed no signs of moving.

Students began to file into the classroom at their own pace, knowing that their Language Arts teacher would be late. Their Geometry II teacher had let them out thirty minutes early saying that he had an important meeting to attend to, but Naruto insisted he was going to peep into the teacher's lounge where lady's day was taking place. The female teachers were getting a quick spa day on their breaks. They could thank Principal Tsunade for that.

Temari gasped as a certain boy entered the room. He was blonde and slightly tanned, smiling slightly at something his best friend, Darui, said.

"OMG! My boyfriend is here!" TenTen and Sakamei shared a look at this. Temari had claimed the nineteen year old that lived next door to Sakamei was her boyfriend yesterday.

Temari stayed rooted to Sakamei's lap as she called out to the boy.

"Hey, C!" she called, waving seductively at the boy.

The boy turned when his English name was called,* and when he saw the way the three girls were sitting together. Temari smiled at the boy as she seductively wrapped her arms around Sakamei's neck.

"I was wondering if you could help us really quick. Darui too." She beckoned the boys over with her fingers and they warily made their way over.

Temari began to fake a scenario. "Well, see how Sakamei's button down is buttoned up to the middle of her overly large chest?" Sakamei narrowed her eyes at the blonde on her lap before she pinched her right boob, causing the girl to shriek slightly and cover her chest.

"She's a little self-conscious about it. What do you guys think about them?"

Shi and Darui blushed heavily as Temari kept her face as serious as possible. The boys shared a look before glancing at a beet-red Sakamei.

Of course they had stared before. What boy hadn't when she was walking in their general direction? But they had never looked when she could see them doing so. Rumors had spread that if you didn't flatter her as much as she was being now, she would show interest in you, so most guys were trying to act as if she wasn't as hot as she really was.

"Don't be shy, guys," TenTen said, drawing their attention. "We all need your help, it's just that Sakamei needs it the most."

"Temari's are just as big as mine!"

"See? She's in denial! But, Sakamei, she's not as self-conscious, and you're a few sizes bigger."

"Just two!"

Temari enjoyed seeing Shi squirm. "I-I..." Shi cleared his throat, wanting to get this over with as soon as possible.

"I think that...they're...perfect, Sakamei," he said quickly, seeing as there was no other way to get out of this. He couldn't be mean to a girl just to get her attention, and what if the rumors were wrong?

He watched the girl blush once more before turning her head away. TenTen smiled.

"What about me, Darui?" The latter hadn't expected this. "Mine are much smaller, but are they _too_ small?"

Darui had never been a breast type of guy. He pondered this for a second, showing less hesitation than Shi.

"I think they're fine. You don't want too much." TenTen smiled at this.

"What's that supposed to mean!" Sakamei shouted, causing Shi to blush once more.

"Darui means no harm. He just has...different views on...these certain things."

Sakamei smirked at Darui before crossing her arms over her chest that was too large for him. Temari smoothed hers skirt before addressing Shi.

"That means mine are too big for Darui too. What about you, Shi?"

"I think yours are perfect beyond compare from what I can see, Temari."

Sakamei gasped as Temari smiled brightly.

"So mine are just too big and simply perfect! If hers are beyond compare, that means they're better than mine?"

Shi rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "It's nothing personal, Sakamei. It's just that a smaller number can make a bigger difference some...times..."

The boy stopped when Sakamei began sulking, a dark aura present around her body.

Shi apologized quickly before he and Darui made their way to their desks.

Temari and TenTen laughed, causing Sakamei to stick her tongue at them.

"Oh, come on, Sakamei. Not every guy likes huge boobs," Temari said, causing TenTen to nod.

"That's not the point. My boobs are...too big. I'm going to get a breast reduction and make 'em smaller than TenTen's."

"What's that supposed to mean!"

"You know what it means!"

Temari sighed. "Sakamei, do you want every boy here fawning over your chest?" Sakamei stopped at this. "Then be happy that there are two less guys that want to stare at them."

Sakamei reasoned with this and decided that Temari was right.

A group of loud guys entered the room, which meant that Naruto and Kiba were included, followed by Gaara and Sasuke. Sakamei accepted Temari's hug for embarrassing her and TenTen knelt before them as Kakashi-_sensei_ entered the room.

He sighed as he realized why every boy and half the girls were drooling and stood beside his desk.

"If you three are finished I think that you should take your seats."

Sakamei waited or Temari to rise off of her before standing, smoothing out her skirt before following her friends to their seats.

Kakashi began by lecturing the class on female hormones and PDAs before going into their lecture for the day: the many works of Jiraiya Sanin.

Sakamei ignored Temari as she told the whole table what happened with Shi and Darui bit by bit. Never again would she accept Naruto's offer to sit with his friends when Temari was with her.

"That is why Sakamei is sulking today." Temari patted her friend's head, earning a glare harder than Sasuke's.

Naruto was trying not to laugh, while most of the guys at the table were trying not to ask why they weren't asked the same question. Their jealousy was diminished when Sakamei spoke.

"My boobs aren't too big right? Or not perfect enough? I don't have too much in the chest are, do I?"

Even though they had wanted her to, they hadn't expected her to ask.

Sakamei took their silence as them agreeing with Darui and Shi, causing her to sulk once more, dropping her face into her hands.

Haku tried comforting the girl, patting her back and feeling relieved that he wasn't a girl right now. "_Ne, _Sakamei, wanna sit with us today?"

Sakamei peaked up at the group of guys who had approached the table. They were fourth years. She could tell because of their gakuran. Kotetsu was the guy who had spoken to her. He smiled when she looked up at him. She glanced over at Naruto and Sasuke. They weren't too happy about them coming over, whether it was approaching their table or trying to take their friend away.

"Sorry, guys, but I'm not feeling too well right now. I wouldn't be good company right now." They showed no disappointment at all when a group of girls called to them from the fourth year table.

"Alright, maybe another time." Kotetsu and his friends left before she could respond, heading straight for those girls. Sakamei may be the one of the hottest girls in the school, but why go through the act of flirting with her when they could have any other girl on their arm right away?

Sakamei broke out of her sulking and stole Temari's rib, sticking her tongue at her before nibbling at it. Temari smirked at her. "There are three things Sakamei likes to put in her mouth boys," she said causing the white haired girl to narrow her eyes at her. "Sweets, meat, and big, long—" Sakamei stuffed the rib she had stolen into the girl's mouth, causing Temari to give her a victorious look before Sakamei looked away.

Sakamei met Sasuke's eye then, and the look he gave her caused her to freeze before looking the opposite way. She and Sasuke had gone back to their normal selves after she had gotten out of the hospital (he hated her, she hated him etc.) and never once had he looked at her like that.

She had seen pure _lust_ in his eyes. Of course she had seen amusement or anger, most likely at times when she couldn't think of anything to come back at him with or the times when he found guys flirting with her, but never had she seen _wanting._

Sakamei glanced at Sasuke, finding that his eyes were still on her, an arrogant smirk on his face as he stared her down. Did he ever blink?

Naruto called out to her and she looked at him, doing all she could not to look to his right. "Your brother's are going to be gone later right? We could hang out at your place again since Sasuke decided to change his mind about us coming over." Sasuke finally stopped staring at Sakamei when Naruto looked at him, his smirk disappearing.

"It's your fault. Remember how you broke the coffee table? My mom says no one can come over until October." Naruto blushed, remembering the stunt he had pulled that ended up with his father paying Fugaku $10,000 for a damned coffee table. Who paid that much for a table?

"What do you say, Sakamei?" She pondered this. Would Toph mind? Of course not. She was happy when she had guests to cater to.

"I don't think my sister will mind, but then I have to ask my father. He's home now, and I don't know how he would feel if he was surrounded by a bunch of teenagers, I mean, he's raised six kids and everything." Naruto pouted before stopping her from continuing.

"Stop worrying, Sakamei. Who wouldn't love me? Your dad won't mind having me around."

"My dad does," Sasuke retorted, causing Naruto to stick his tongue at him. Sakamei smiled at the blonde.

"Alright, I'll ask my dad." The bell rang and they all left for gym. Sakamei tried to remember the promise, but she swore she could feel cold black eyes on her the whole time until she reached the girl's locker room.

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><p>This was more like crappy filler, and I know how you guys might feel because I get enough of it from Naruto Shippuden.<p>

*Shi is the letter "C" in Japanese. I didn't realize this until I went on the Naruto Wikia, so I decided to share it. Isn't it awesome! So far I know A,B,C, J...and I think there's a G but I can't remember...

This chapter was boring. I just wanted to put Shi in it because he's so cute to me! Thanks for reading! Next chapter is awesome...I hope.


	16. Ne, Sakamei?

As you know, nothing starting from Chapter 15 and up had origionally happened unless I said so, but even so, I'm happy with the outcome, especially with this one. You'll see why soon. Hope you enjoy!

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><p><em>Ne,<em> Sakamei?

Sakamei glared at the back of the boy in front of her as he dragged her like a rag doll.

Principal Tsunade had asked-no demanded- that Sasuke escort her to the office before class, but Sakamei didn't know that this meant he could drag her through the halls like a child that needed help finding her mother-_no_-her father.

Sakamei frowned at the way she had to correct herself before she pulled away from Sasuke and narrowed her eyes at him, causing the dark haired boy to glare at her. She stuck her tongue at him, only to turn and see a baseball coming right towards her.

Her eyes widened before she was pulled into something warm and hard. She looked up at Sasuke, who looked down at her with eyes full of arrogance. "You really are clumsy aren't you?"

When she began to pull away she thought she felt his embrace tighten for a second, then release her completely.

She remembered the fact that he had said clumsy instead of blind like most people who would forget then realize their mistake and apologize profusely.

She began to thank him when a ninth year came over to them hurriedly. He looked really nervous, as if he had actually hit her.

He had apologized several times, and when she smiled and told him it was okay, he blushed slightly.

He would glance at her as he spoke, too nervous to keep eye contact with her.

"I heard that you were skipped up to the tenth grade, and I really admire you for that. I know it's strange that I would want to move up a grade, but it's like a tradition in my family. My father, brothers, grandfathers, and great grandfathers were moved up at least before the third month of school. It's really important to me, and I just wanted to know if...you could be my tutor...or something like that. "She didn't notice the way he nervously glanced at Sasuke, or the way the latter glared back at the younger boy.

He looked back to Sakamei, glancing at Sasuke every now and then. She stood with her weight shifted to her right foot, one arm under her chest and the other resting on it as her pointer finger tapped her chin. Her bright white eyes were so full of life that it made him less nervous around Sasuke.

"It will only be for a little while, I swear it. I don't want to burden you or anything like that." Sakamei was silent for a second, processing the brown-haired boy's words. He began to think that this was denial, but she smiled, her white eyes closing and making her appear friendlier than ever.

"What's your name?" Only then did he realize that he didn't introduce himself.

"_Ekudasai! _My name is Shimon Hijiri. My family expects a lot from me, so moving up in my grade is really important to me. I'm sorry that I forgot to introduce myself. I guess I was too nervous about actually speaking to you, Sakamei-_sama_." He continued to ramble on, only stopping when Sakamei offered him his hand.

"I'm Sakamei Senju. It's nice to meet you, Shimon-_kun_." He accepted her hand, returning her smile.

"I don't mind tutoring you. We could talk about this later at lunch. I'll find you." Shimon agreed, nearly forgetting that he still held her hand until Sasuke's cold glare nearly froze him to death.

He quickly jerked away, causing Sakamei to frown and look at Sasuke, who smirked back at her.

"Sorry, Shiman, but we have somewhere important to be." The first bell rang, alerting them of the two minutes left to get to class. "And you do too."

Shimon mumbled the correct way to say his name just as Sakamei corrected Sasuke herself. She smiled at him once more. See you later, Shimon-_kun_."

He nodded before rushing off to class, leaving Sasuke and Sakamei in the emptying halls.

Sasuke gripped her wrist once more, much tighter. "Let's go." He took off immediately, causing her to protest as his speed.

Sasuke was upset about Shimon. He had mispronounced his name purposefully to show him that he didn't have a single effect on him, even though he was pissed that the guy had approached her and asked her of such a thing. If she was a tutor they would spend a lot of time together, and they would be alone too.

His eyes narrowed at this as he began moving faster, their footsteps echoing in the large halls.

Sakamei continued to huff as he dragged her down the hall. She wouldn't be able to pull away because of the hold he had on her. She just hoped her huffing and groaning would annoy him.

Soon they arrived at the office where Tsunade was waiting for them. "What took you so long? Making out under the stairs or something?" Sakamei couldn't be more surprised at this as Sasuke leaned against Shizune's desk.

"Tsunade-_chama_!" Sakamei yelled. She realized she said one thing she swore she never would as her hands flew to her mouth, and the room was silent for several seconds...

Sasuke snickered into his hand, causing Sakamei to curse at him, trying to keep her face from going red. She had always had problems saying –_sama_ and _–senpai_. It was something she did since childhood.

She turned away from Sasuke and he noticed it right away. His eyes narrowed on the girl. He didn't like it one bit. "That's not something you ask your students, is it, Tsunade?" Sasuke acted as if he had never snickered at her words, though his smirk was still slightly there.

Sakamei noticed how he didn't never said -sama or -san or even -senpai. She wondered why Tsunade said nothing about it.

"This is him, Tsunade_-sama_?" Sasuke's eyebrow rose as Sakamei jumped, just noticing Jux sitting in a chair beside the Principal's office.

His white hair hung loosely as always, but he wore a black suit with a white button down shirt and a gray silk tie. He smiled slightly at his sister before taking in the boy before him.

Sasuke stared at him with the cool eyes. He had to say, he liked how established the man looked. As he rose the suit stayed straight and pristine. This was Sasuke's end result when he took over his father's business with his brother.

"Yes, Jux-_kun_. This is who I plan to have keeping an eye on Sakamei. He's at the top of the class and has every class with her."

"Unfortunately," Sakamei mumbled, earning a glare from Sasuke.

Jux approached him. He found that Sasuke was close to his height, and he was 6'4. The boy didn't waver at all like most of the boys he met that wanted to approach Sakamei. His own glare was returned and for a second he saw himself in the younger male.

He offered a smirk to the boy, the closest he would get to a smile, and though he didn't show it, he was surprised that it was mirrored.

"Tell me about yourself, Sasuke." Sasuke rose from the desk he was leaning against. Did he not know who he was?

"I'm sixteen years old, I've lived in Konoha my whole life, and I'm the younger son of Fugaku Uchiha. My brother and I are the heirs of the Uchiha law firm, and I plan on making sure I make the family business known worldwide."

Jux smirked once more. He liked that the boy already had an objective in life. "You do know that this is my youngest sister's first time in public school don't you? You also know that I want someone who's capable of watching her no matter what happens."

Sasuke was not fazed. "Of course. I was informed of this by Shizune."

"I wasn't," Sakamei intercepted, causing Jux to glance at her before continuing his conversation.

"I knew your brother in school, and I expect the best from you." He looked at the boy, determining his strenght. "Now about your future, what are your plans beyond the business? Such as marriage?"

Sasuke glanced at Sakamei, making sure it went unnoticed by Jux before crossing his arms over his chest. "Of course I want to be married, at least before the age of twenty-five. This will ensure that I have as many heirs as possible, the more the better. And my wife," Sasuke looked at Sakamei with a heated gaze, this time doing nothing to keep Jux from realizing his infatuation with the girl.

"My wife will have a beauty rivaled by no other, and a musical intelligence that may outrange the greatest musicians in history. I will keep my wife by my side forever, and I will ensure that she _never_ leaves me."

Sakamei felt her body heat up as Sasuke's eyes roamed over it, as if claiming every inch of her as his, and Jux didn't seem to like it.

"You seem confident that this certain someone wants what you have to offer. What will you do if she becomes unhappy in this marriage?" Sasuke did not falter as he looked back at the white-haired man.

"I trust that you would believe me when I said that I won't let that happen, and if it does," it wasn't a smirk he gave, but this time a maniacal smile. It scared Sakamei, but at the same time she felt an aching between her legs that told her that she wanted him to touch her.

"I have my ways of resolving our problem." Jux narrowed his eyes at the dark-haired boy.

"And what ways are there?" Sasuke only continued to smile at the man, his cold eyes flashing with something that only he knew, and Sakamei was yearning to know what it was.

"That's for me to know and her to find out. You woul rather wait for the surprise..._Ne,_ Sakamei?" Shock found itself on Sakamei's face. Had he really just said that to her brother?

Jux would not show the boy that his words had affected him, but he had a feeling that Sasuke already knew that he had won. "If you say so," He looked to his sister then, who was deep in thought as a blush marred her face. Could he really let this boy rid her—no—_destroy _her innocence? Sakamei couldn't know more than what happens during sex, rather less attempt it with this boy, who looked like he had more experience than a forty year old man. She didn't want her thinking about what his words meant right now.

"Sakamei," the girl jumped when her brother called her name. Sasuke was pleased to find that he had such an effect on her. Jux turned to Sasuke, speaking quietly that only the boy before him could hear. "You should be careful, Sasuke, because I have every right to keep Sakamei away from you. She's only fifteen now. You have all the time in the world to _earn her affection._" He strained the last three words, making sure that Sasuke understood that he couldn't force Sakamei into the relationship.

"And if you move too fast," Jux stepped closer to make sure that Sakamei, who was watching them intently wouldn't hear. "I have every intention to _murder you_." Sasuke smiled once more, surprising Sakamei. What had Jux said?

"_Nii-chan_?" Jux turned to his sister and smiled. This should be the only secret Sasuke should keep from Sakamei unless it threatened either of their lives if he wanted to be with his sister.

He then turned to Tsunade. "I would like to walk them to class. Genma-sensei was one of my favorite teachers." Sasuke's eyes narrowed, but he did not question the older man.

"Go ahead. I have important business to attend to," Tsunade said, looking down at the bottle of wine Jux had brought for her.

Jux led the way as Sakamei and Sasuke followed. Sakamei didn't know what would happen when her brother spoke to the teacher.

Genma-sensei was quite...strange. The whole school knew he was gay, and he did nothing to hide it. He even flirted with his male students, even though he was dating Raidou, his boyfriend working with the FBI or something like that. Genma LOVED Sakamei, and he loved gossiping with her whenever he could.

They arrived at the classroom soon, and Jux knocked before entering the Literature class.

Genma had been writing his lecture in the board when he looked towards the door. He dropped the marker and turned.

"HOLLY HELL, BABE, YOU CAME BACK FOR ME!"

Genma took off towards the door, and he would have tackled Jux if the man hadn't stepped out of the way.

Sakamei frowned as the teacher stopped himself within an inch of slamming into the door and turned.

"_Ohayou_, Genma-sensei."

Jux disliked speaking English for too long.

Genma was overly excited as he smiled at him. "I've missed you so much, Jux! You don't know what it's like being around these idiots!" The class went silent.

"No offense, idiots." He turned back to Jux. "I have five smart students though. Sakamei is the best, but she's your sister so it's bound to happen. And then there's Sasuke, Gaara, Shikamaru, and Neji, but they're no fun."

Genma rambled on until Jux had enough. "Sensei, I just wanted to sit in for a while and see how my sister is doing, not disrupt the class." Genma pouted when he remembered he was a teacher.

"Fine. Sasuke, Sakamei, you can take your seats. Jux-kun, you can sit where you like." Sakamei ignored the girls who told her how hot her brother was. She took her seat, which happened to be between Ino and Sakura.

_'Fuck me,'_ she thought as she was pummeled with questions.

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><p>I loved how this turned out! It's so much better than I hoped.<p>

Does anyone else find the psycho Sasuke sexy, or is it just me?

Anyways, thanks for reading! I hope you like the story!


	17. The Thin Line Between Pity and Caring

Shimon is back. I fogot to mention this last chapter. I know that Shimon, Izumo, and Kotetsu are in their twenties, but I couldn't find any people close to Naruto's age that I thought would fit the role.

As for Izumo and Kotetsu, remember how they pretended to be genin and kept the real genin from going to the right meeting room during the chunin exams like bullies? Exactly.

I know bullying is illegal, but not in the Naruto world.

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><p>The Thin Line Between Pity and Caring<p>

Sakamei walked around the cafeteria silently, looking from table to table. Many knew she was looking for someone and hoped it was them. Unfortunately she found the one she was looking for.

She stopped beside a table full of ninth year boys who didn't seem to notice her. "Shimon_-kun_,"

The table went silent as each boy looked up at her. Shimon quickly rose, nearly falling over. Sakamei smiled at this and he returned an embarrassed and shy smile as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Sakamei-_sama_, you-you really came." She smiled once more as his friends stared on in awe.

"Sakamei_-chan_," she corrected. They _were _the same age.

Students from different years had drifted towards different parts of the cafeteria:

First years were sitting near the windows, closer to the trash bins ever since fourth years moved them there unless they were hot enough to be 'worth their time'

Second years were sitting near the middle, and because the class consisted of the biggest number of hot guys (i.e. Sasuke, Naruto, Gaara, etc.) they had tables under the window ceilings so girls from the other classes could "bask in their beauty"

Third years were forced to share their space with the second years, but they stayed on opposite sides of the middle area

Lastly, Fourth years sat by the doors to the patio, which they deemed as their own

First years got the worst of the room, but they dealt.

Sakamei noticed their silence. Of course she knew that the upperclassmen would cause an uproar, especially because of the way the cafeteria slightly quieted down and Shimon and his friends glanced around nervously.

"Shimon-_kun_, come with me. It will only be for a second." He nodded and grabbed his bag, slowly following her.

When he noticed the direction she was going and the glare he was getting from the Uchiha, he whispered, "Your boyfriend doesn't like me, does he?"

Sakamei froze where she was. "I-I don't have a boyfriend." Shimon looked surprised.

"Uchiha-_sama _isn't your boyfriend?" Upon seeing the white-haired girl's mouth drop, he felt stupid for asking. "Sorry, it's just the way he was _glaring _at me. He's a little scary."

"Don't worry. He's just cold-hearted." They were nearing the line that separated first and second years, and she knew Shimon was nervous as he began to slow. She grabbed his hand and kept the same pace as they crossed onto second year territory.

Shimon began growing nervous as four fourth years approached them. He knew what grade they were in because they wore gakuran, and even though they looked intimidating Sakamei showed no fear.

"Sakamei-_chan_," the guy in front said, drawing her attention. He was Izumo Kamizuki, very popular among girls in the school along with his best friend Kotetsu Hagane.

"_Hai_," she answered still holding Shimon's hand. The four boys noticed this, giving him a death-ridden scowl. Most of the people in the room watched them now.

"He's not supposed to cross into any other area of the cafeteria. It's the rules." Sakamei offered the boys her cutest smile, causing them to try their hardest not to blush.

"I'm sorry, Izumo-_chama. _I'm Shimon_-kun_'s tutor, and I just wanted to make a schedule so that we could meet. It'll only take a second." She had perfected the cute girl act. The thing was, she had never learned how to say the word –_sama _and really said –_chama _for as long as she could remember. It was a source of teasing from Mika and hysterical laughter from Krix. No way would she say that word in front of Naruto and his friends, and now she had to make sure Sasuke told no one.

Izumo was pleased with the way she said his names. He smirked, "Alright, I guess I can let this slide for a while since you're so sweet." He let Sakamei past, and then looked to Shimon, who's eyes were shadowed by his bangs. "Do you think you have a chance with her?"

Sakamei stopped and Shimon was surprised by this. "What? No! Of course not, Izumo-_san_."

"'Izumo-_san'_?" The older teen stepped forward, causing Sakamei to grip his arm. He pulled away from her. "Stay back, sweetheart. Wouldn't want you getting hurt." Sakamei glared at him as his friends laughed.

"_A-akemasa_," Shimon said. "Izumo-sama," he said, cowering from the older teen.

"Izumo, leave him alone. He hasn't done anything wrong." Izumo ignored Sakamei as Kotetsu and another brunette began to move to the boy.

"Don't make that mistake again." Izumo moved forward, and Sakamei knew what was going to happen.

She watched him lift his fist and his arm move back before Sakamei grabbed his arm once more. He glared at the younger girl.

"You first and second years don't know your place. You all should learn some respect." With this he pulled his arm away from her before gripping her arm tighter than necessary.

"To think I thought you were worth my time." His grip tightened on her arm and she could feel it bruising as Shimon was restrained by Izumo's lackeys.

He began to shove her away when a pale hand gripped Izumo's wrist and an arm wrapped around her waist, keeping her on her feet.

Sakamei's eyes widened as Sasuke glared at the fourth year student. She could actually hear his grip tighten on his wrist.

"You're as self-centered as I am. So much that I can't stand it." Izumo's eyes widened as Sasuke released him, pushing him back a couple feet.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Kotetsu yelled as he and his friend released Shimon and lunged at him, only to be stopped by Naruto and Kiba.

"They're pretty full of themselves, _ne_, Sasuke?"

Sasuke smirked at his blonde friend before turning back to the boy he held by the wrist. "You grabbed my girl's wrist. She belongs to our group. She belongs _to me_, and if you touch her again..."

Sakamei began to interject when he said his girl, but realized that he was saying this because her brother wanted him to watch out for her. At least she thought it was until she remembered how he had outright claimed that she _would _be his wife. Another thing that stopped her from speaking was the way Sasuke's eyes looked _red _as he squeezed Izumo's wrist tighter.

Naruto came in then, not wanting Sasuke to break the jerk's wrist and get into any trouble. "We'll make sure we get-"

Naruto stopped when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He, Sasuke, and Kiba looked over their shoulders and found Jux, accompanied by Principal Tsunade.

"_Nii-chan_," Sakamei whispered, still rubbing her sore wrist.

He nodded to her smiling before turning to Sasuke. "Good job, Sasuke. You're doing well already, but I think you were a little late." Sasuke glared at the man before glancing at Sakamei's pale wrist starting to turn slightly purple. When he looked up at her she smiled, though she still looked as if she were smiling.

He turned back to Izumo. He had _hurt_ Sakamei. Now he would hurt him.

He felt his anger flare as he looked at Izumo, who was staring at his bruising wrist.

Tsunade didn't care who had started this. She knew Sasuke was planning something rasp as a dark look crossed his face and she felt his chakra surge.

Here we go again.

She would rather gamble herself away than deal with a lot of hormonal kids fighting over a girl.

She pulled the boys apart, daring Sasuke to try anything.

"Sasuke, Kiba, Naruto, Izumo, and whoever the hell you are, you have detention dammit!" With that she turned away, stalking off to her office. They would all be there because they knew Tsunade remembered faces like the back of her hand and would beat them with a wooden ruler within an inch of their lives.

Sakamei watched as Izumo and his friends left and Sasuke circled Shimon, taking in every inch of him as if he could assess his abilities with his piercing gaze. Shimon's eyes were lowered, so he hadn't noticed Sasuke until Sakamei quietly asked him what he was doing. The audience of cafeteria students no longer paid attention since there was no fight, though they had hoped there would be one.

Sasuke stopped in mid-stride directly in front of Shimon, meeting his eyes. Shimon didn't know what to say or do as an arrogant smirk formed on his face.

"You're weaker than I thought. And to think that I would have competition when it came to whom Sakamei had feelings for. You couldn't even protect her. I gave you the chance, but you failed. Or did you just not try?" They realized that the reason that Sasuke had waited so long to step in when Izumo first grabbed her was because he wanted to see what Shimon would do. This shamed Shimon even more.

"Sasuke!" Sakamei's fists clenched as Sasuke slowly turned to her. "Leave him alone. He doesn't get into random fights like you do all of the time." Sasuke looked back at Shimon, who's face was full of anger and grief.

Had he really been that weak all along?

Of course he had been present at many of the fights Sasuke and Naruto usually got in together. He had always found that he was jealous of the two, and he hated that he could admit it so easily.

Sakamei stood beside Sasuke now, her hands between her legs as she knelt before a little, trying to see her face. Sasuke only shook his head, staring right back at Sakamei when she glared at him.

"He acts like he's weak, Sakamei. I know he could have done more. Even though he would've lost in the end, he would have lost. He was just too afraid to try." Naruto moved forward then, his elbows in the air and his hands at the back of his head.

"Come on, Sasuke, stop being so hard on him. He was going to step in and help Sakamei before those two guys grabbed him. I bet he's pretty strong, he's just slow. He just couldn't get to her on time. Not everyone's as fast as you, _'ttebayo?"_

"I think Naruto's right," Kiba said, joining them. "Every one of us except Sakamei knew you since childhood. You're just not used to fighting with someone who can't keep up with you. The three of us get into fights together all the time, so we're used to it, but not everyone can move at your pace. The guy must be a little slow in his fighting, but he might be slightly stronger than you think.

Shimon's fists clenched.

"_Che_. Whatever. I'll believe it when I see it." Sakamei was ignoring the two boys as she placed her hand on Shimon's shoulder.

"Don't listen to them, Shimon_-kun_. I know you're strong. You just have to prove them—"

"Stop pitying me!" He pushed Sakamei's hand off his shoulder. Sasuke stepped closer to the girl, lightly moving his arm around her waist to keep her balance once more as he glared at the boy.

"You always have something nice to say, don't you, Sakamei? Well, now I'm tired of you lying to me. I'm weak, alright! And I don't need you to tell me that I am." He returned Sasuke's glare before storming off.

Sakamei frowned as the boy disappeared into the vast white of her blind eyes. She wondered where he was going. Sasuke hold tightened around her waist. "It almost time for class. I don't think your brother would want you running after that guy and missing class." Sakamei nodded, slowly turning and letting him lead her away.

_Why would he think she was pitying him?_

* * *

><p>Shimon has anger issues. You'll be seeing a lot of him, and I am thinking about adding the OC who was in my lost chapters. He plays an important role in Naruto's part of the story, and I think that I should add him. HE IS NOT NARUTO'S FATHER BECAUSE I WANTED THE ROKUDAIME ALIVE IN MY FANFIC. What do you guys think? Should I use him?<p> 


	18. Her First Date

I want to have more HakuxZabu in the story, but I don't know if I want to add the drama to this fic or another one that I'm working on. I will have to think about it. Also, Sasuke and Sakamei hadn't gotten together so early in the chapters. There was much more crap going on before that in my first chapters but it's better taht they're together now, _ne_? Enjoy the chapter!

Who Wore it Best?

Sakamei allowed Sasuke to lead her into the movie theater after they exited his silver Lamborghini Concept S. She loved the car, though she didn't admit it. The black rims and detail attracted her attention greatly. He let her hold onto his arm instead of dragging her inside like he did everywhere else. She found this much nicer than having her arm nearly pulled off because she wasn't fast enough.

Sasuke felt eyes—no—_male_ eyes on Sakamei as soon as they stepped inside, and he fought the urge to scowl at any guy he caught watching her, but Sakamei didn't seem to notice. She was taking in her surroundings, but it was hard when your date was rooted to the ground and you couldn't see ten feet in front of you.

She squealed quietly as she peeked up at Sasuke, who looked down at her with an eyebrow raised and slightly amusement in his eyes. _Thinking_ of him as being her date was just as hard as _saying_ so.

Sasuke pulled Sakamei closer, wrapping his arm around her waist to protect his property before moving forward, leading her to the ticket booth that was separated from the rest of the room. It was after nine, and Sakamei had heard that customers under the age of twenty-one weren't allowed to enter because they served alcohol.

But when she realized that she was with Sasuke.

The younger heir of the Uchiha family had been said to have pull in many places, and of course the best movie theater in Konoha had to be one.

"What do you want to see, Sakamei?" She looked at the screen behind the ticket saleswoman that was blushing over Sasuke. She then realized something.

All of the movies were horror.

She loved scary movies, but she had never been brave enough to watch them alone, and most times she ended up clinging to Naruto, Haku, or any one she was seeing the movie with.

Could she keep herself from clinging Sasuke?

She knew that she couldn't and she was sure he would enjoy watching her cling to him as she became vulnerable over a movie. Of course this would give him an idea of what she was afraid of.

All of the movies had aspects that scared her to death. A movie about a group of rich kids go on a trip in a submarine and end up getting trapped inside an underwater building filled with unknown sea creatures. Who the fuck knew what was out there in the water? She _hated_ lakes and oceans and anything that was deeper than a swimming pool.

There was a 3D slasher flick, where she was sure there were plenty opportunities for her to scream her head off when something popped up.

And lastly, what she hated the most, movies about demons and ghosts. There was no way she was going to see that. Pop ups were everywhere in these kinds of movies.

Sasuke began growing impatient, and so did the people behind them, but it was his fault for going straight to the line instead of letting her pick a movie first. She sighed inwardly as the screen changed to a romantic comedy.

"That one," Sakamei said as Sasuke pulled his wallet out of his pocket.

"_Insidious_," He said, ignoring her completely. Sakamei froze, unable to speak as he paid and accepted the two tickets. The girl managed to get her fingers to touch Sasuke's as she passed him the tickets, sighing dreamily when she felt his skin.

"I hoped so, Sasuke-_san_. We got it six months early just as you asked." Sakamei knew she couldn't trust he cold hearted bastard. She turned, beginning to stalk away. Sasuke's eyes followed her, amusement once again apparent on his face.

"Where are you going?" Sakamei continued, her movement s stiff when she realized that she had no ride because he had brought her here.

"There's no way you can make me see that movie. Do you _know_ how much those kinds of things scare me? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Sasuke grabbed her arm.

"I haven't even touched you enough to get your heart going that fast, but I can do that later if you want." He stepped closer, his lips inches from her ear. "Don't worry. I'll protect you." Sakamei blushed furiously, unable to speak for a while.

"I _hate_ you, _baka_!" Sasuke ignored the white-haired girl, but when she began walking away again he spun her around and threw her over his shoulder.

Sakamei was silent due to her shock at the moment, but when she felt the back of her already short skirt rising up as he began to walk into the theater, she began to struggle.

"Sasuke—you-you _jerk_! P-put me _down_! Are you _trying_ to make me flash everybody here?" Sasuke handed their tickets to the embarrassed ticket collector, who didn't know if he should try to help the girl or leave the cold-looking boy alone.

Sakamei held onto the back of her skirt, holding it down with all her strength as Sasuke showed no signs of putting her down. "All you have to do is be nice and nothing will happen." Sakamei wished she could glare at the boy as he set her down in front of the candy bar.

"You like candy, don't you? Get whatever you want." Sasuke's attention was on his phone, so he didn't see Sakamei shoot a glare at him before turning to the bar. She loved sweets. They were her addiction. She knew that Sasuke hated sweets, but it was nice of him to let her have them.

She settled for a box of Hot Tamales and another of Sour Skittles, her favorites. Sasuke also bought the both of them drinks before he led her into the movie theater. Sakamei didn't want to sit up high. Sasuke decided he would humor her and sit in the front row of the elevated section of the seats. There was a bar in front of them, separating the section from a walkway and floor leveled seats that were right in front of the screen.

Sakamei had just wanted to be as close to the exit as possible, but so that Sasuke wouldn't realize this, she moved to the middle of the row, opting to be secluded between him and the wall.

As soon as they sat down, Sasuke's arm went around her shoulder. She decided not to say anything and let him do as he pleased. She would just choke the hell out of him when the movie scared her.

Sasuke did nothing when Sakamei sucked up all her pride and pulled up the armrest and grabbed his arm, holding it close to her chest as she hid her face in his neck. He hadn't expected her to get this scared. His arm was between her breasts, the material of her dress and his long sleeved t-shirt were the only thing between them.

He let her stay like this for a while before forcing his arm away from her. She looked up at the boy in surprise. The person she held captive to stop herself from becoming too afraid never stopped her from doing so. It was impossible.

Sasuke smirked when Sakamei peeked at the screen only, to jump with the music when the red-faced demon appeared between the woman's mother. Her hands flew to her face, and Sasuke took this distraction as his chance.

He wrapped his arm around her, and with her hands still covering her face, Sakamei moved closer to him, allowing him to "protect her" from the movie.

Sakamei moved her hands from her face and clinged to Sasuke's shirt. For a second her fingers slid over Sasuke's abs, and a shiver ran through her body. Sasuke pulled her closer, not failing to notice the brush of her fingers staying on his stomach for longer than necessary. He ran the fingers of his free hand through her hair before whispering, "I never expected that being able to hold you would be so easy. I wonder what else I could get away with."

Sakamei was too afraid of seeing anything else on the movie screen that she didn't move her face out of the side of his neck. She felt his right hand move down to her side and a sigh escaped her lips unwillingly.

Sasuke's hand moved to the exposed skin of her legs. Her body heat was electrifying, and he wanted to feel her more; to be the only one who touched her.

Sakamei felt Sasuke's hand move along her neck before his fingers gently lifted her head. Her eyes met his and she didn't see lust this time, but determination and raw passion. It scared her, while at the same time made her body heat up.

He leaned down, letting his lips run along her jaw. Her breath caught in her throat as Sasuke did so. He stilled, gently pressing his lips against a spot under her jaw before ever so slowly moving his lips to hers. Sasuke's lips looked so soft, yet they held a strength that made her body weak.

Sasuke's lips pressed against hers harder, satisfied with the fact that he had so much to teach her. He would teach her so many things that would please only him. He felt an aching in his chest at the thought of it.

He pulled his lips away, allowing Sakamei to breathe before taking her lips once more. When he was sure she got the hang of how to kiss this way, his lips brushed her lips. Sakamei gasped at this, and Sasuke pushed his tongue into her mouth. Sakamei felt her breath catch as Sasuke's tongue pushed against hers. She could taste the mint on his breath and it drove her wild. She felt a blush heating her face when he pulled away and gave her a heated gaze.

"Your tongue is pierced," he stated, causing her to blush even harder. She had gotten it for her fifteenth birthday. Mika had been slightly…intoxicated when he had taken her to get her tongue pierced, and a tattoo that he rarely showed on her right upper thigh.

Sasuke's eyes seemed to look red again, and he saw the passion in his eyes growing, if that was possible. He spoke with his lips pressed against hers, "Do as I do."

Sakamei had no time to prepare for this when Sasuke's tongue moved into her mouth. She slowly began to press her tongue against his, copying his movements perfectly. The small ball of her tongue piercing increased the friction of their tongues. He pulled her closer so that her leg stretched across his lap.

Sakamei inhaled when he pulled away to trail his lips down the side of her jaw and began to suck on her neck. Sasuke's arms tightened around her as she mewled when his lithe tongue moved against her neck. He wanted more of her, any way he could get it.

Sakamei licked her dry lips as Sasuke sucked at a spot on her collarbone. She would have stopped him if she knew his intentions. He would claim her anyway he could.

The lights suddenly flashed on and Sasuke growled as his moment with Sakamei was interrupted. A few stragglers in the room were making their way out, glancing at the couple, causing Sakamei to blush as she pulled away from Sasuke and straightened her dress.

Sasuke watched her rise and soon followed her, not allowing her to get far from him as he wrapped his arm around her waist. The girl glared at him, but the blush on her cheeks told him that she didn't mind it at all.

He led her into the main lobby, only to narrow his eyes when she pulled away from him. She continued to pull at the skirt of her dress.

"I have to pee," she mumbled, avoiding eye contact with him as he nodded. She began to turn, only to have him gently grab her chin between his fingers and kissed her once more, running his tongue along her lips before releasing a reddened Sakamei and watch her stumble. He chuckled, causing her to glance at him over her shoulder nervously before rushing off to the restroom.

He watched her leave, taking in the length of her legs before someone bumped into him from behind. He growled lightly, turning, only to freeze when he saw someone he hadn't expected to see outside of school.

Sakura began to apologize before she looked up at Sasuke. She smiled slightly. The two rarely spoke to each other after they broke up. It seemed as if they were avoiding each other altogether.

"Hi, Sasuke-_kun_," Sakura said, glancing down at her feet.

"Sakura," he said, acknowledging the girl. He didn't know what else to say to her.

"Are you here alone?" Sakura asked, glancing around. She didn't see any girls Sasuke had been around lately. Maybe she had gone somewhere for a second.

"No, I came with someone." Sakura waited for him to elaborate, but when he didn't she gave him a slightly nervous smile. What else was there to say?

"Sakura, what the heck did you run off for?" INo joined them, causing Sasuke to fail at hiding his irritation. He had always disliked the loud-mothed girl.

"Oh, Sasuke, you're here too? Who did you come with?" Ino asked. Sasuke didn't want to tell them anymore than they needed to know.

"Someone." Ino began to ask him to elaborate, but Sai soon joined them, followed by two familiar faces.

"Sasuke, you're here," Sai said. How many times were people going to say that. "Where's your date? Is she pretty? Or is she a he?" Sasuke growled at the smiling boy.

"Do I look gay to you?" Sai tilted his head to the side, actually thinking about this.

"A girl, Sai, it's a girl!" The latter only shrugged. He would have thought otherwise.

Sasuke then realized that he did know the two familiar faces behind Sai. The blonde was a friend of Itachi's...Deidera. And the red head was Sasori.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as Deidera smiled a little to excitedly.

"Little one," Deidera said, using the name he had given Sasuke as a child. "I didn't expect to see you here! How are you? Do you still have that little blanket you used to drab around as a kid? No wait, I accidently set it on fire, didn't I? You cried so much then, Sasuke-_kun_."

Sasuke glared at the blonde as Sasori knocked him upside the head. "Shut up already." Sasuke still didn't understand why they were here. Deidera answered the question he had yetto ask.

"Sasoti's on a date with Sakura-_chan_ here. Do you know here?" Sasuke's surprise was evident only in his eyes. Sakura looked away.

"Sasori-_kun _and I have been dating for two weeks now," Sakura explained. Sasuke would not show his surprise. He had moved on, so why couldn't she?

"Congrats," he said simply, surprising Sakura slightly. Deidera didn't seem to notice the tension in the air like everyone else.

"My date's in the restroom, so we're waiting for her. Just wait'll you see her, Sasuke-_kun_!" Sasuke had no time to state his displeasure. Deidera was blabering on about his date's personality. He only rolled his eyes as he continued to ignore the blonde. Why did he have so much energy? Was that even possi-

"SASUKE-_TEME!"_ Sasuke and the group before him turned as Sakamei bounded through the crowd, one hand covering a spot on her neck and the other holding the hand of her older sister, Toph. The oldest Senju daughter continued to smile as her sister dragged her along.

"SASUKE!" Sakamei said once more, causing Sasuke to smirk as he realized what caused her anger.

"You sound like Naruto." Sakamei ignored him.

"You did this on purpose! Are you _crazy_!" She didn't notice the group behind him until then. Toph acted as if her younger sister wasn't angry and blushing before her.

"Hi, Sasuke-_kun._ Are you dating my sister now? How nice," she said, earning a glare from Sakamei.

Deidera smiled at the taller white-haired girl. "Toph-_chan_!" Toph oticed the blonde then. Sakamei looked confused as her sister moved to the boy. Sasuke's shock was evident without restriction. _No freaking way._

_"_Sakamei, this is Deidera-_san. _He's my date tonight." Sakamei stared at the couple who held hands like two small children. She had never seen what types of guys her sister liked, but most of her closest friends were guys who often looked like girls. Srt of like Haku...but_ prettier_. She would have thought Deidera was a girl if she hadn't seen the way he was dressed.

"Why are you with this weirdo?" Sasuke asked her, causing Deidera to pout slightly.

"There's nothind weird about Deidera-_kun_. He's one of the most artistic guys I've ever met. I think you would like his work, _Imouto_. He's very good at sculpting."

Sakamei loved art. Sculptures and Abstract art were her favorites. Though she didn't look like it, she could stare at art forever.

She lookd at Sasuke, her hand still at her neck. he had been looking at the place her hand was, a small smirk on his face. He noticed she was looking at him and his eyes met hers. She could see his perverted thoughts in his eyes.

"Toph-_ne__e_, save me." Sasuke's smirk widened as he grabbed her hand. Toph hadn't heard her because she was too busy laughing at something stupid that Deidera said.

Sakamei hadn't noticed Ino, Sakura, and Sai until then. Sai was smiling, while Sakura and Ino looked slightly surprised.

"Hi. I didn't see you there." Sakamei avoided eye contact with the two girls. When she did look up she and Sakura gasped. They were wearing the same dress. Ino's hands flew to her mouth. There were two things that would ruin Sakura's day. Sakura tried her hardest not to try to take it to heart when she saw Sasuke holding the girl's hand, a girl she had been tryin to befriend. Deidera looked at the two girls.

"We have a problem here." The group had begun to believe that Deidera wasn't oblivious at all. Did he realize that Sakamei was now dating Sakura's ex?

"Sasori, we have a case of who wore it best. We can't just look at the dress. We have to look at the shoes, the hair and the jewelry and-" Sasori smacked the boy once more.

"Stop talking! You'll give everyone here aneurysms from your stupidity, _baka_." Deidera shrugged, allowing Toph to take his hand once more.

"You two are dating?" Sakamei looked up at the pink-haired girl when she asked.

"I guess we are now." Sasuke was pleased with this. He hadn't expected her to say this without his persuasion. He moved closer to her, wrapping his arm around her waist and causing her to blush.

Sai hadn't expected Sakamei to be Sasuke's date. "Sakamei, I had expected Sasuke's date to be a boy, but you fit much better." Sakamei smiled, unsure if she should feel offended or thank him. Sasuke glared at the paler boy.

"We have to leave now. Let's go, Sakamei." Sasuke began dragging the unwilling girl out of the theater. "No, wait! My-my sister can take me home! I'm sure she wouldn't mind-" Sasuke pressed his lips agains't hers, stopping her for a second before she continued, a blush marring her face.

He managed to force the girl into the car before hoping in and speeding off, ignoring her many protests as his eyes left the road so that he could pull her close and take possesion of her lips once more to make sure that she really belonged to him for as long as he could imagine.

For eternity.


	19. Who Wore It Best

I want to have more HakuxZabu in the story, but I don't know if I want to add the drama to this fic or another one that I'm working on. I will have to think about it. Also, Sasuke and Sakamei hadn't gotten together so early in the chapters. There was much more crap going on before that in my first chapters but it's better taht they're together now, _ne_? Enjoy the chapter!

Who Wore it Best?

Sakamei allowed Sasuke to lead her into the movie theater after they exited his silver Lamborghini Concept S. She loved the car, though she didn't admit it. The black rims and detail attracted her attention greatly. He let her hold onto his arm instead of dragging her inside like he did everywhere else. She found this much nicer than having her arm nearly pulled off because she wasn't fast enough.

Sasuke felt eyes—no—_male_ eyes on Sakamei as soon as they stepped inside, and he fought the urge to scowl at any guy he caught watching her, but Sakamei didn't seem to notice. She was taking in her surroundings, but it was hard when your date was rooted to the ground and you couldn't see ten feet in front of you.

She squealed quietly as she peeked up at Sasuke, who looked down at her with an eyebrow raised and slightly amusement in his eyes. _Thinking_ of him as being her date was just as hard as _saying_ so.

Sasuke pulled Sakamei closer, wrapping his arm around her waist to protect his property before moving forward, leading her to the ticket booth that was separated from the rest of the room. It was after nine, and Sakamei had heard that customers under the age of twenty-one weren't allowed to enter because they served alcohol.

But when she realized that she was with Sasuke.

The younger heir of the Uchiha family had been said to have pull in many places, and of course the best movie theater in Konoha had to be one.

"What do you want to see, Sakamei?" She looked at the screen behind the ticket saleswoman that was blushing over Sasuke. She then realized something.

All of the movies were horror.

She loved scary movies, but she had never been brave enough to watch them alone, and most times she ended up clinging to Naruto, Haku, or any one she was seeing the movie with.

Could she keep herself from clinging Sasuke?

She knew that she couldn't and she was sure he would enjoy watching her cling to him as she became vulnerable over a movie. Of course this would give him an idea of what she was afraid of.

All of the movies had aspects that scared her to death. A movie about a group of rich kids go on a trip in a submarine and end up getting trapped inside an underwater building filled with unknown sea creatures. Who the fuck knew what was out there in the water? She _hated_ lakes and oceans and anything that was deeper than a swimming pool.

There was a 3D slasher flick, where she was sure there were plenty opportunities for her to scream her head off when something popped up.

And lastly, what she hated the most, movies about demons and ghosts. There was no way she was going to see that. Pop ups were everywhere in these kinds of movies.

Sasuke began growing impatient, and so did the people behind them, but it was his fault for going straight to the line instead of letting her pick a movie first. She sighed inwardly as the screen changed to a romantic comedy.

"That one," Sakamei said as Sasuke pulled his wallet out of his pocket.

"_Insidious_," He said, ignoring her completely. Sakamei froze, unable to speak as he paid and accepted the two tickets. The girl managed to get her fingers to touch Sasuke's as she passed him the tickets, sighing dreamily when she felt his skin.

"I hoped so, Sasuke-_san_. We got it six months early just as you asked." Sakamei knew she couldn't trust he cold hearted bastard. She turned, beginning to stalk away. Sasuke's eyes followed her, amusement once again apparent on his face.

"Where are you going?" Sakamei continued, her movement s stiff when she realized that she had no ride because he had brought her here.

"There's no way you can make me see that movie. Do you _know_ how much those kinds of things scare me? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Sasuke grabbed her arm.

"I haven't even touched you enough to get your heart going that fast, but I can do that later if you want." He stepped closer, his lips inches from her ear. "Don't worry. I'll protect you." Sakamei blushed furiously, unable to speak for a while.

"I _hate_ you, _baka_!" Sasuke ignored the white-haired girl, but when she began walking away again he spun her around and threw her over his shoulder.

Sakamei was silent due to her shock at the moment, but when she felt the back of her already short skirt rising up as he began to walk into the theater, she began to struggle.

"Sasuke—you-you _jerk_! P-put me _down_! Are you _trying_ to make me flash everybody here?" Sasuke handed their tickets to the embarrassed ticket collector, who didn't know if he should try to help the girl or leave the cold-looking boy alone.

Sakamei held onto the back of her skirt, holding it down with all her strength as Sasuke showed no signs of putting her down. "All you have to do is be nice and nothing will happen." Sakamei wished she could glare at the boy as he set her down in front of the candy bar.

"You like candy, don't you? Get whatever you want." Sasuke's attention was on his phone, so he didn't see Sakamei shoot a glare at him before turning to the bar. She loved sweets. They were her addiction. She knew that Sasuke hated sweets, but it was nice of him to let her have them.

She settled for a box of Hot Tamales and another of Sour Skittles, her favorites. Sasuke also bought the both of them drinks before he led her into the movie theater. Sakamei didn't want to sit up high. Sasuke decided he would humor her and sit in the front row of the elevated section of the seats. There was a bar in front of them, separating the section from a walkway and floor leveled seats that were right in front of the screen.

Sakamei had just wanted to be as close to the exit as possible, but so that Sasuke wouldn't realize this, she moved to the middle of the row, opting to be secluded between him and the wall.

As soon as they sat down, Sasuke's arm went around her shoulder. She decided not to say anything and let him do as he pleased. She would just choke the hell out of him when the movie scared her.

Sasuke did nothing when Sakamei sucked up all her pride and pulled up the armrest and grabbed his arm, holding it close to her chest as she hid her face in his neck. He hadn't expected her to get this scared. His arm was between her breasts, the material of her dress and his long sleeved t-shirt were the only thing between them.

He let her stay like this for a while before forcing his arm away from her. She looked up at the boy in surprise. The person she held captive to stop herself from becoming too afraid never stopped her from doing so. It was impossible.

Sasuke smirked when Sakamei peeked at the screen only, to jump with the music when the red-faced demon appeared between the woman's mother. Her hands flew to her face, and Sasuke took this distraction as his chance.

He wrapped his arm around her, and with her hands still covering her face, Sakamei moved closer to him, allowing him to "protect her" from the movie.

Sakamei moved her hands from her face and clinged to Sasuke's shirt. For a second her fingers slid over Sasuke's abs, and a shiver ran through her body. Sasuke pulled her closer, not failing to notice the brush of her fingers staying on his stomach for longer than necessary. He ran the fingers of his free hand through her hair before whispering, "I never expected that being able to hold you would be so easy. I wonder what else I could get away with."

Sakamei was too afraid of seeing anything else on the movie screen that she didn't move her face out of the side of his neck. She felt his right hand move down to her side and a sigh escaped her lips unwillingly.

Sasuke's hand moved to the exposed skin of her legs. Her body heat was electrifying, and he wanted to feel her more; to be the only one who touched her.

Sakamei felt Sasuke's hand move along her neck before his fingers gently lifted her head. Her eyes met his and she didn't see lust this time, but determination and raw passion. It scared her, while at the same time made her body heat up.

He leaned down, letting his lips run along her jaw. Her breath caught in her throat as Sasuke did so. He stilled, gently pressing his lips against a spot under her jaw before ever so slowly moving his lips to hers. Sasuke's lips looked so soft, yet they held a strength that made her body weak.

Sasuke's lips pressed against hers harder, satisfied with the fact that he had so much to teach her. He would teach her so many things that would please only him. He felt an aching in his chest at the thought of it.

He pulled his lips away, allowing Sakamei to breathe before taking her lips once more. When he was sure she got the hang of how to kiss this way, his lips brushed her lips. Sakamei gasped at this, and Sasuke pushed his tongue into her mouth. Sakamei felt her breath catch as Sasuke's tongue pushed against hers. She could taste the mint on his breath and it drove her wild. She felt a blush heating her face when he pulled away and gave her a heated gaze.

"Your tongue is pierced," he stated, causing her to blush even harder. She had gotten it for her fifteenth birthday. Mika had been slightly…intoxicated when he had taken her to get her tongue pierced, and a tattoo that he rarely showed on her right upper thigh.

Sasuke's eyes seemed to look red again, and he saw the passion in his eyes growing, if that was possible. He spoke with his lips pressed against hers, "Do as I do."

Sakamei had no time to prepare for this when Sasuke's tongue moved into her mouth. She slowly began to press her tongue against his, copying his movements perfectly. The small ball of her tongue piercing increased the friction of their tongues. He pulled her closer so that her leg stretched across his lap.

Sakamei inhaled when he pulled away to trail his lips down the side of her jaw and began to suck on her neck. Sasuke's arms tightened around her as she mewled when his lithe tongue moved against her neck. He wanted more of her, any way he could get it.

Sakamei licked her dry lips as Sasuke sucked at a spot on her collarbone. She would have stopped him if she knew his intentions. He would claim her anyway he could.

The lights suddenly flashed on and Sasuke growled as his moment with Sakamei was interrupted. A few stragglers in the room were making their way out, glancing at the couple, causing Sakamei to blush as she pulled away from Sasuke and straightened her dress.

Sasuke watched her rise and soon followed her, not allowing her to get far from him as he wrapped his arm around her waist. The girl glared at him, but the blush on her cheeks told him that she didn't mind it at all.

He led her into the main lobby, only to narrow his eyes when she pulled away from him. She continued to pull at the skirt of her dress.

"I have to pee," she mumbled, avoiding eye contact with him as he nodded. She began to turn, only to have him gently grab her chin between his fingers and kissed her once more, running his tongue along her lips before releasing a reddened Sakamei and watch her stumble. He chuckled, causing her to glance at him over her shoulder nervously before rushing off to the restroom.

He watched her leave, taking in the length of her legs before someone bumped into him from behind. He growled lightly, turning, only to freeze when he saw someone he hadn't expected to see outside of school.

Sakura began to apologize before she looked up at Sasuke. She smiled slightly. The two rarely spoke to each other after they broke up. It seemed as if they were avoiding each other altogether.

"Hi, Sasuke-_kun_," Sakura said, glancing down at her feet.

"Sakura," he said, acknowledging the girl. He didn't know what else to say to her.

"Are you here alone?" Sakura asked, glancing around. She didn't see any girls Sasuke had been around lately. Maybe she had gone somewhere for a second.

"No, I came with someone." Sakura waited for him to elaborate, but when he didn't she gave him a slightly nervous smile. What else was there to say?

"Sakura, what the heck did you run off for?" INo joined them, causing Sasuke to fail at hiding his irritation. He had always disliked the loud-mothed girl.

"Oh, Sasuke, you're here too? Who did you come with?" Ino asked. Sasuke didn't want to tell them anymore than they needed to know.

"Someone." Ino began to ask him to elaborate, but Sai soon joined them, followed by two familiar faces.

"Sasuke, you're here," Sai said. How many times were people going to say that. "Where's your date? Is she pretty? Or is she a he?" Sasuke growled at the smiling boy.

"Do I look gay to you?" Sai tilted his head to the side, actually thinking about this.

"A girl, Sai, it's a girl!" The latter only shrugged. He would have thought otherwise.

Sasuke then realized that he did know the two familiar faces behind Sai. The blonde was a friend of Itachi's...Deidera. And the red head was Sasori.

"What are you doing here?" he asked as Deidera smiled a little to excitedly.

"Little one," Deidera said, using the name he had given Sasuke as a child. "I didn't expect to see you here! How are you? Do you still have that little blanket you used to drab around as a kid? No wait, I accidently set it on fire, didn't I? You cried so much then, Sasuke-_kun_."

Sasuke glared at the blonde as Sasori knocked him upside the head. "Shut up already." Sasuke still didn't understand why they were here. Deidera answered the question he had yetto ask.

"Sasoti's on a date with Sakura-_chan_ here. Do you know here?" Sasuke's surprise was evident only in his eyes. Sakura looked away.

"Sasori-_kun _and I have been dating for two weeks now," Sakura explained. Sasuke would not show his surprise. He had moved on, so why couldn't she?

"Congrats," he said simply, surprising Sakura slightly. Deidera didn't seem to notice the tension in the air like everyone else.

"My date's in the restroom, so we're waiting for her. Just wait'll you see her, Sasuke-_kun_!" Sasuke had no time to state his displeasure. Deidera was blabering on about his date's personality. He only rolled his eyes as he continued to ignore the blonde. Why did he have so much energy? Was that even possi-

"SASUKE-_TEME!"_ Sasuke and the group before him turned as Sakamei bounded through the crowd, one hand covering a spot on her neck and the other holding the hand of her older sister, Toph. The oldest Senju daughter continued to smile as her sister dragged her along.

"SASUKE!" Sakamei said once more, causing Sasuke to smirk as he realized what caused her anger.

"You sound like Naruto." Sakamei ignored him.

"You did this on purpose! Are you _crazy_!" She didn't notice the group behind him until then. Toph acted as if her younger sister wasn't angry and blushing before her.

"Hi, Sasuke-_kun._ Are you dating my sister now? How nice," she said, earning a glare from Sakamei.

Deidera smiled at the taller white-haired girl. "Toph-_chan_!" Toph oticed the blonde then. Sakamei looked confused as her sister moved to the boy. Sasuke's shock was evident without restriction. _No freaking way._

_"_Sakamei, this is Deidera-_san. _He's my date tonight." Sakamei stared at the couple who held hands like two small children. She had never seen what types of guys her sister liked, but most of her closest friends were guys who often looked like girls. Srt of like Haku...but_ prettier_. She would have thought Deidera was a girl if she hadn't seen the way he was dressed.

"Why are you with this weirdo?" Sasuke asked her, causing Deidera to pout slightly.

"There's nothind weird about Deidera-_kun_. He's one of the most artistic guys I've ever met. I think you would like his work, _Imouto_. He's very good at sculpting."

Sakamei loved art. Sculptures and Abstract art were her favorites. Though she didn't look like it, she could stare at art forever.

She lookd at Sasuke, her hand still at her neck. he had been looking at the place her hand was, a small smirk on his face. He noticed she was looking at him and his eyes met hers. She could see his perverted thoughts in his eyes.

"Toph-_ne__e_, save me." Sasuke's smirk widened as he grabbed her hand. Toph hadn't heard her because she was too busy laughing at something stupid that Deidera said.

Sakamei hadn't noticed Ino, Sakura, and Sai until then. Sai was smiling, while Sakura and Ino looked slightly surprised.

"Hi. I didn't see you there." Sakamei avoided eye contact with the two girls. When she did look up she and Sakura gasped. They were wearing the same dress. Ino's hands flew to her mouth. There were two things that would ruin Sakura's day. Sakura tried her hardest not to try to take it to heart when she saw Sasuke holding the girl's hand, a girl she had been tryin to befriend. Deidera looked at the two girls.

"We have a problem here." The group had begun to believe that Deidera wasn't oblivious at all. Did he realize that Sakamei was now dating Sakura's ex?

"Sasori, we have a case of who wore it best. We can't just look at the dress. We have to look at the shoes, the hair and the jewelry and-" Sasori smacked the boy once more.

"Stop talking! You'll give everyone here aneurysms from your stupidity, _baka_." Deidera shrugged, allowing Toph to take his hand once more.

"You two are dating?" Sakamei looked up at the pink-haired girl when she asked.

"I guess we are now." Sasuke was pleased with this. He hadn't expected her to say this without his persuasion. He moved closer to her, wrapping his arm around her waist and causing her to blush.

Sai hadn't expected Sakamei to be Sasuke's date. "Sakamei, I had expected Sasuke's date to be a boy, but you fit much better." Sakamei smiled, unsure if she should feel offended or thank him. Sasuke glared at the paler boy.

"We have to leave now. Let's go, Sakamei." Sasuke began dragging the unwilling girl out of the theater. "No, wait! My-my sister can take me home! I'm sure she wouldn't mind-" Sasuke pressed his lips agains't hers, stopping her for a second before she continued, a blush marring her face.

He managed to force the girl into the car before hoping in and speeding off, ignoring her many protests as his eyes left the road so that he could pull her close and take possesion of her lips once more to make sure that she really belonged to him for as long as he could imagine.

For eternity.


	20. My Little Girl

My Little Girl

It was Saturday, the day after Sakamei's date with Sasuke, and Sakamei had been forced to tell TenTen, Haku and Temari everything that happened over the phone.

"You guys made out, didn't you? Is he a good kisser? Was he? Did he leave any marks? I bet the bastard did because he's so arrogant like that," Temari said, causing Sakamei to blush as she looked at the spiral she had unconsciously been doodling on once the black nail polish on her nails dried.

Sakamei Uchiha

Sakamei Uchiha

Sakamei Uchiha

Sakamei bit her lip when she realized what she had been doing. They hadn't even been together that long, and she wasn't even near admitting it out loud.

"Sakamei, are you alright? You're being a little quiet. You two really did make out, didn't you!" Haku was easily excited, and Sakamei did nothing to deny their accusations.

TenTen chuckled. "I bet you have the biggest hickey ever on your neck! What was your first kiss like? Did you like it?"

Of course she liked it. This was _Sasuke_ they were talking about. She wouldn't say, but she had always wondered what a kiss was like, but when she thought about the fact that it had been Sasuke who showed her, she couldn't help but blush.

"I-I did…maybe," she answered causing Temari to laugh her ass off.

"I bet you're blushing right now, aren't you? You are so blushing." Sakamei hated how easily Temari could read her, even when they weren't face to face.

"What happened after that? Did you guys leave right after the movie?" Haku asked, sounding as if he were jumping up and down from anticipation.

"Actually, we ran into Sakura, Sai, and Ino."

"Holy crap, it was the ex. What were they doing there?" Sakamei had to think about how to tell them.

"I had gone to the restroom then, so I guess they ran into Sasuke while I was gone. When I got into the restroom my sister was there, and-"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just listen, TenTen! Keep going, Sakamei," Temari said. They could tell TenTen was sticking her tongue at the phone right now just to spite Temari.

"She told me I had "something" on my neck. So when I went to the mirror I saw "it", and I knew the bastard had done it on purpose."

"He gave you a hickey on the first date? He must be a lot like Zabi then. Was it big?" Haku's statement surprised the three girls for a second, but none said anything that would embarrass him and cause him to hang up right away.

"It wasn't too big, but big enough to be noticed, like he had planned to put it there. I ended up dragging my sister out of the restroom and covering the bruise on my neck the whole time. When I find Sasuke, he's standing with Sakura, Ino, and Sai and two guys I've never seen before. He told me later that night that they were Deidera and Sasori, friends of Itachi's, and Deidera was there on a date with my sister. Sasori was Sakura's date."

Sakamei had to think about what else happened. "Sakura seemed upset when she found out we were dating, and Sai said he thought Sasuke's date would have been a guy…and that's really it. We left after that."

Temari didn't believe her. "That couldn't be it. What did Sasuke do after you left?" Sakamei blushed.

"When we got to my house, he…he locked me in his car and made me make out with him until my brother Krix got home." Sakamei remembered how swollen her lips had felt once Sasuke left. Luckily, Krix had been too hyped up on Pocky to notice.

"Are you going to see him today? Are you addicted to the Uchiha prodigy now?" Sakamei wished she could glare at the brunette.

"I don't know, TenTen. Are you still obsessed with Hyuga?" She heard TenTen gasp.

"I am _not_ obsessed with Neji! I haven't dated a guy since fifth grade! I've been with girls since then." Temari laughed darkly.

"That's what you want to believe, but we all know the truth. _Ne_, Haku?"

"Of course we know the truth, TenTen. You can't keep the truth from us."

Their conversation ended with TenTen cursing, using words Sakamei had never heard in her life, Temari _still_ laughing her ass off, and Haku afraid that TenTen might end up murdering one of them.

Sakamei put her phone away, listening to Mika yell at Krix for leaving his box of Pocky out, and Mato and Toph talking about some show on TV about these phones that told the future and the people who owned them had to murder each other. Even though the twins were always smiling, they seemed to like violent things.

She wondered what Jux and her father were doing. She peaked at her clock. It was nine in the morning now. Who would have thought that her friends would get up this early on a Saturday just to call her? She bet the two were in the dojo as usual.

Sakamei rose from her bed and tore the page covered with her first and Sasuke's last name, tossing it in the trash before leaving her room.

She descended the stairs, her eyes on the steps and hand sliding along the wall until she reached the bottom step. Once she succeeded, she slid past Mika, who was restrained by Mato and Toph as he tried to choke Krix who must have done something on purpose since he was smiling so much.

She walked down the hall to the right of the staircase and into the room at the very end of the hall. Jux sat before their father, a cup of tea in the both of their hands. They both looked up at her at the same time, and if I wasn't for Jux's hair being shoulder length, he would have been the perfect copy of their father, gray-blue eyes and all.

It was normal for her Zero Senju and his eldest son to sit in silence for hours on end together. It was something they did for as long as Sakamei could remember. Jux had always been close to their father. It seemed that they had an understanding of each other's quiet demeanor.

Sakamei entered the room, kneeling beside her father and greeting the both of them.

"_Papa_," she started, her white eyes meeting his gray-blue ones. "I have to tell you something." Identical eyebrows rose as Jux and her father waited patiently.

"I-I…I'm…dating someone." The cup her father held fell to the ground.

"Dating? M-my…little…girl…?" Though her father always looked serious and slightly scary, he was always a kind man, never able to deny people of what they wanted. The look on his face told Sakamei that he wasn't very happy with her news. She peaked at Jux, who, by the look on her face, knew who she was talking about.

"Ju-Jux, what's been happening since I left?" Jux looked at Sakamei, who was blushing slightly.

"I've just found out today, _tou-san_. I'm afraid that I Sakamei has yet to tell any of us." Their father was staring through the ground as thousands of thoughts rushed through his mind.

"It-it is a _boy_, isn't it?"

"_Otou-san_!" she exclaimed. What did her father really think of her?

"I'm sorry, Sakamei. It never hurts to ask, does it?" Zero took a deep breath. His youngest daughter was dating already.

"I just wanted to let you know now. It happened last night and…" Sakamei was unsure of what else to say. "I like him,_ Papa_."

"Who is this boy?" Sakamei bit her lip. Would he mind once she told him? She didn't have time to tell him because Jux took the objective of delivering the blow.

"He is the younger son of your friend Fugaku Uchiha." Sakamei fought the urge to pout. She wanted to be the one to tell him.

Zero's eyes widened. "_Uchiha Sasuke? He's always been so…cold! Sakamei, is this true?_" Zero rarely spoke Japanese. Only when his emotions were in turmoil did he do so.

"_Hai,_" was all she could say. He acted as if she had run off and _married_ the guy!

"_Sasuke-san_…_are you sure he didn't scare you into dating him_?" Sakamei groaned.

"No, he didn't do that, _tou-san_."

"My little girl…" Zero had become lost in his thoughts. He was losing his youngest child. He could remember Sakamei when she was only three. She had changed so much since then.

Sakamei's face had always been serene, her eyes slightly narrowed causing other children to find her appealing yet intimidating. She had never focused on making friends though. Her life in Suna was filled with thoughts that children her age would never think of.

When Sakamei was born she had been blind, having the same disease her mother had. But her white eyes had always been filled with amusement. Nothing stopped her from believing that the white she saw was what everyone else did.

When she turned two, doctors found that she was smarter than she seemed. She had an interest in music that no other child had, and they couldn't understand why. She would sit for hours memorizing the sounds of the instruments her siblings and parents played. She knew that her father played viola, remembering the fast cords he played when he would sing _Cantarella, _a song that she was too young to understand but enjoyed anyways. She knew her mother played piano when she sang _IMMITATION BLACK _with her father and uncle, a song they had sung together before her parents fell in love. She also knew that Jux played many different wind instruments, his favorite being the flute, which his mother had taught him to play when she taught Sakamei to sing _You_, a song that she had heard her sister Toph listening to. Mato and Toph played piano like their mother, often playing together in their childhood, while Mika chose to play guitar, though he also played viola because he wanted to play like their father. He had made Sakamei keep it as a secret between the two of them when he would ask her to listen. Lastly, Krix played a number of instruments, ranging from flute to violin, but his favorite was the cello, which was surprising to many when they found that the hyper Jux enjoyed the slow, haunting sound of the instrument.

Sakamei had felt a twinge in her heart when she would only sit and listen to her family play, unable to join in with the talented bunch. They noticed of course, but they were unsure of what to do. So Lanamei decided to teach her youngest child to sing.

Sakamei learned many of her mother's favorite songs, and soon she would have so many questions about the songs. When she learned the song _Blue Bird_, she found that she was missing out on much more than she thought.

"_What does the sky look like?"_

Sakamei had been out in the garden with her mother, the feeling of the soil in her hands still felt so familiar. Zero had always watched the two spend time together. It was amazing how alike the two were.

"_It's blue, with big white clouds and a glowing sun." _He had watched the confusion set on the little girl's face.

"But what does blue look like?" He watched Lanamei freeze, a potted flower falling from her hands. Sakamei frowned when she heard this, but she was unsure of where to turn, her white eyes staring straight ahead.

"_Mama?"_

Zero had been unsure of what to do as Lanamei's tears fell silently. Though her vision didn't stretch far, she hadn't been completely blind, and she blamed herself for her daughter's lost vision.

"_I-I don't know how to explain it, Sakamei."_

Sakamei understood. A smile tilted her lips as she turned, almost as if she could see where her mother was. She didn't know her mother was crying, or hear her father coming near.

"_Is it pretty?"_

Zero knew that Lanamei was unable to answer.

"_It is, Sakamei, but it's sad sometimes."_

Sakamei frowned.

"_Why does it get sad?"_

"_Because not everyone can see it when it's at it's best, so it cries."_

"Sakamei, what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything! He's just acting weird for some reason. _Papa!_"

Zero was brought back from his memories when he heard Mika and Sakamei arguing. He blinked a few times before looking at his six children, who were watching him closely.

He looked to Toph, who held a pile of blankets just as Mato did. "_Otou-san_, someone's at the door for you. I think he said his name was Hiashi Hyuga."

"Hiashi," Zero repeated as he rose from the floor. He straightened his clothing, having been wearing a kimono over his button down shirt and dress pants before he removed it.

Sakamei was following him, having always done so since she was little. She had always hung onto the back of his shirt, no matter if he was cooking dinner or helping her siblings with homework when Jux wasn't around. Every time he would turn around, a tiny white-haired girl would lift her head before moving behind him once more and gripping the back of his shirt. He had never understood this, but he never asked about it.

She stayed a few steps behind him. Stopping to peer around the corner as he opened the door. Hiashi greeted him with a slight smile, which Zero returned.

"Hi, Hiashi. What brings you here?" Hiashi, along with Shikaku, Fugaku, Minato, Choza, and Inoichi had been friends since school. It was a surprise that their children hadn't known each other their whole lives.

"I need to talk to you about something." He looked behind him, as if he were waiting for someone. Coming up the driveway, Hinata, Neji, and Hanabi looked at the garden out front as they passed, taking their time.

Zero greeted them before letting them in. They removed their shoes and followed the man to the living room. Hinata wondered where Sakamei was as Toph set a tray of tea on the table. She soon found out when she heard a shriek and fast paced footsteps coming down the hall.

Sakamei shouted at Krix for bringing Mika's cat inside. Even though she was quite athletic, she was still clumsy, so she ended up tripping over the carpet in the middle of the hall. Zero rose from the sofa, worry furrowing his brows as he looked at his groaning daughter. Krix had already made his escape, leaving the cat in his wake so that he would take the blame.

"Sakamei, are you alright?" Hanabi stood over the white-haired girl as she rolled on the floor. She knew Hanabi. The girl always sat at the same table as her in the library without a word. Soon she asked the girl her name and they found taht they enjoyed the same kind of books; filled with adventure and teenagers, though Hanabi dislliked anything that had to do with romance.

"I'm fine," she answered looking at the upside down girl. Hanabi smmiled lazy, her lavender eyes bright as Sakamei sat up.

Sakamei looked over at her frowning father and amused Hyuga trio. She stared back at them for a second before smiling. "Hi, Hinata-_chan, _Neji,-_san._"

Hinata greeted her, having not seen her for a while. Neji raised an eyebrow, nodding as a greeting. Zero watched as she stood up.

"Sakamei, this is Hiashi-_san_. He's Hinata and Hanabi's father and Neji's uncle." Sakamei smiled at the man, feeling stupid for making herself look like an idiot in front of the established-looking man.

"Hi, Sakamei. I haven't seen you since you were an infant." White eyebrows rose at this. It must have been when she was under the age of one, because Sakamei remembered things that happened when she was two. Another strange thing about the girl.

"Hiashi and I have been friends since childhood, along with a few other of your friends' parents. Hiashi has come because he wanted to ask you something."

Hiashi nodded as Sakamei leaned on the back of the chair, her arms crossed in front of her. "There's a tradition in my familiy, a ball that happens once a year. The older teens in the family always dance or sing for entertinment when this day comes. I always let Neji and Hinata invite friends to perform with them, and Hinata asked if you could be involved."

Sakamei's surprise was evident as her white eyes widened. Hinata blushed slightly. "I used to watch your performances when you were still famous. I loved hearing you sing with your family." Sakamei's eyes widened once more. None of her friends acually mentioned her being famous a while back. Maybe because they weren't interested in the type of music her family performed with. Their songs were slower, involving more roomance or heartbreak and things alike.

"Really? I don't know-"

"I invited Temari and TenTen too! Haku said he would come, but he wouldn't perform, but the others say that they would come."

Sakamei was being hit with surprise after surprise. "Temari used to dance at the parties her father hosted in Suna, but TenTen?" Sakamei glanced at Neji, who had a slight smirk on his face. Apparently he hadn't known that TenTen had agreed too.

"Sasuke-_kun, _Kiba-_kun_, and...Naruto-_kun_ are dancing too. Neji has asked them." Sakamei noticed the way Hinata blushed harder when she said Naruto's name.

Zero frowned when Sasuke was mentioned. He was taking his little girl away. How much longer before Sakamei decided that she wanted to move in with the boy? Or marry the boy? What if she decides to run away with him!

"_Otou-san_!" Zero looked up at his youngest daughter. "I want to dance for Hinata-_chan_." Zero nodded, fighting the urge to pout at the thought of her dancing with Sasuke. He had been dancing with Lanamei the first time they kissed.

"A-actually, I wanted you to sing too," Hinata said, causing Sakamei to turn to her. "Please?" Sakamei enjoyed being around Hinata. She was always quiet, something she enjoyed.

"Alright, I'll do it for you, Hinata, but you have to pick the songs." Hinata nodded, and Hanani pouted.

"I want to pick a song too!" Hinata smiled nerously at the girl. God knows she can through a tantrum.

"Of course you can, Hanabi. We can choose when we get home." Hanabi was pleased with this. Hiashi rose from where he sat as Neji handed Sakamei a tri-folded paper.

"Thank you for your time, Zero. I expect to see you with your family at the ball." Zero nodded as he rose to lead the man to the door. Sakamei had been given a practice schedule, and they were starting _tommorrow_. Hinata must have been to nervous to ask her sooner.

Zero came back into the room. "Good luck. With the Hyuga dance instructor, you're going to need it."

Sakamei smiled. "Don't worry, _Papa_. I've worked with _Mama_ before. I think I'll be ready."

Zero returned the smile she gave him as she passed. Lanamei really had left Sakamei with many memories in the four short years they knew each other.

* * *

><p>The show that Mato and Toph were talking about is called Mrai Nikki. It's a good show, but I can't help but hate who the protagonist ended up with.<p>

The songs I used are real, hence the reason why I didn't say _their_ songs because of copyright issues. Sorry if you guys wanted me to actually _write _their own songs, but aI found that writing poetry are much different than writing songs. Atleast it is for me. My friends say it's sort of the same, but...oh well. Thanks for reading!


	21. The Sweet Side of Sasuke

**I'M BACK!**

My internet got turned off, so I couldn't post this chapter, but then again, I hadn't even finished it because I was so lazy. I just lost the inspiration to write it, but now I found it and I am back to writing it…I hope. I thought about typing Missing's next chapter (which I haven't even started yet) on my cell phone, but my cousin made me get 3D nails with her, and it's very difficult to type on touch screens. Plus, it's my first time getting my nails done professionally, so I'm still getting used to typing now.

I also got caught up in writing 2 new fics, and I couldn't help but start them because I forget things so easily. But you can't be mad at me because, MORE PERVERTED SASUKE!

* * *

><p>The Sweet Side of Sasuke (And the Slightly Perverted Side Too)<p>

Sasuke and Kiba groaned in frustration as Naruto fell on his ass once more. What was so difficult about the move if he could do so many other things?

The duo were currently trying to teach the blonde how to do the 2000, a move where you spin rapidly on one hand, while the other rested on top of the other. The body had to be at a perfect vertical form, and Naruto couldn't stay up for more than five seconds.

"_Dobe_, you can do the windmill, the head spin, and the suicide, but you can't do a simple hand spin?" Naruto smiled, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I like to skip all the basics?"

Naruto cowered at the glare Sasuke sent him as Kiba sighed and sat on the floor. "If he sucks at this, who knows how well he'll do at practice this afternoon."

The boys had gotten up at five in the morning to practice so that they wouldn't have to miss out on their practice when they went to the Hyuga practice at eleven.

"I won't be _that_ bad. I got this covered. I'm the dance master." Sasuke growled.

"You don't even know how to do a simple freeze and you call yourself a breakdancer!"

"I just have too much energy to stay still for a certain amount of time!"

"Yeah, because you don't use your brain enough so al that wasted energy has to go somewhere doesn't it?"

Naruto glared as his best friend as Kiba shook his head. He had no idea how the two had been best friends for so long.

* * *

><p>Sasuke showered and changed into black sweat pants and a loose white V-neck long-sleeved shirt. He would have to leave in a few minutes to meet Naruto and Kiba at the park not far from his house. He grabbed his black and white Jordans and grabbed his drawstring back before walking out of his room and down the long hall of the Uchiha manor.<p>

"_Omotou-kun_," Sasuke growled when _kun_ left his lips. How dare he insult him like that?

He turned glaring at his smiling brother. Itachi always found a way to get under his skin, and even though he was just being playful, Sasuke hated when he did that. "I heard about Sasori dating Sakura. I'm sorry about that."

Sasuke shook his head. "It doesn't matter." Itachi frowned.

"I really am, Sasuke-_kun_, but Deidera told me that you got a new girlfriend. He says she's prettier than Sakura. Is she really?" Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his brother.

"Why do you want to know?" Itachi rolled his eyes following him down the hall.

"I'm just making conversation. What happened to my little brother that used to beg for me to play with him? You used to be so cute, Sasuke_-kun_. And when you cried over that little blanket you used to have-"

"_Shut up already!"_ Mikoto smiled as her boys bounded down the stairs. Sasuke mumbled a greeting to her before walking to the fridge and pulling out a bottle of water. Itachi greeted her with a smile.

"Remember how cute Sasuke-_kun_ used to be, _Oka-chan_?" Mikoto gasped with glee as she agreed with Itachi.

"That little blanket he used to carry around with him made him even cuter!"

"I'm leaving!" Sasuke walked out of the house as fast as he could, trying to ignore his mother and brother as he slid into his shoes before he walked out the door and down the steps of the house. He hated when his mom talked about his childhood. He had never been as good as she made it seem. Only Naruto remembered Sasuke as he was as a child. He had been competitive, confident, and unbelievably irresistible when it came to what he wanted. He couldn't count how many times he got his mother or Naruto's father to do something for him.

Sasuke dodged an empty can as he walked into the parking lot of the park. Naruto waved at him from the top of the jungle gym, smiling in triumph as amazed kids followed suit.

"What are you, a five year old!" Sasuke called, causing Naruto to pout before he climbed down, waving to the kids before he walked over. Kiba had been playing with Akamaru, his dog that was the size of a bear.

The dog greeted Sasuke a little too kindly, nearly knocking him down as he tried to lick his face. He groaned as Kiba took his time to pull the dog off. "Time for you to go home, Akamaru," Kiba said, causing the dog to whine before he made his way down the road towards their home. Naruto was still confused about how Kiba taught the dog his way home.

"Let's go. We'll be late if we don't leave now." Naruto and Kiba followed Sasuke towards Naruto's car. The only reason he knew where it was parked was because it was pretty hard to miss. The custom made Alfa Romeo was black, rims and all, but orange detail stood out among all the cars. An orange stripe went down the middle of the car, and an epic picture of a nine-tailed fox was painted on the top. All because Naruto was weird like that.

* * *

><p>Sakamei stood with Temari and TenTen as they greeted Hinata and Hanabi. The dance studio they had met in was huge, with a high ceiling and all. Sakamei had only seen rooms like these when her family was performing in an opera studio or something alike.<p>

"Thank you for coming. I don't what I would have done if the three of you didn't come. You all make things interesting." Sakamei and Temari smiled while TenTen tried and failed not to focus on something or someone across the room.

"Stop staring at Neji," Temari said, causing Sakamei to laugh as TenTen fussed about not doing so. The girl was set on making them believe that she wasn't interested in the Hyuga boy at all.

Sakamei and Temari had decided to dress the same, wearing a large t-shirt and tights with Vans. The only thing different was where Sakamei wore a white t-shirt, Temari wore a black one. TenTen had denied joining in, wearing basketball shorts and a t-shirt. She would never let her friends dress her, no matter how much they begged.

Hinata was dressed elegantly, wearing lavender tights and one of those ballet dresses that stopped mid-thigh. Her dark hair was pulled back into a bun, and Hanabi wore a pink variation of the outfit.

Hanabi tugged at Sakamei's hair. "You should put your hair up too." Sakamei nodded, sitting Indian style and letting the girl work with her hair. It took her a while, but Hanabi managed to wrap her hair into a bun while letting the rest fall to her waist.

"Have you thought about a haircut?" Sakamei winced at this. Her hair was her most prized possession.

"But I like my hair." Hanabi only rolled her eyes, seeming to be more mature than Sakamei. The white-haired girl smiled at her as the doors opened again and three boys walked in. Sakamei turned away right away when obsidian eyes met hers.

She hadn't seen Sasuke since Saturday. A smirk played on his lips as he followed Naruto and Kiba over to a corner of the room. He would give her space for now, but later she would be his.

Sakamei sat quietly as she asked Hinata about the type of music she listened to. It turned out that it was mostly made up of slow, beautiful songs, like Lacrimosa by Kalafina. She decided to make the girl a list of songs she should listen to, since even she couldn't live with listening to the music her family sang.

"Sakamei, I'm bored. Let's go kill something." Temari was sprawled out on the floor, TenTen sitting right next to her.

"Like your brother's cat. That thing is evil." Sakamei agreed fully.

"I tried telling them that, but they don't believe me. That thing appears everywhere! It's like a freaking ghost!" Before the girls could continue, the doors opened once more and in came a man with red hair, black eyes, and pale skin.

Anyone could tell he was gay.

He wore a tight long sleeved red shirt, tighter black pants, and knee high boots. He had a black scarf around his neck, even though it was ninety degrees outside. His eyeliner was nearly as thick as Gaara's and the cigarette on the long narrow pipe he held had yet to be lighted.

"I'm here, dear children. How much have you missed me?" Serenei couldn't believe her eyes as she looked up at the man. He looked at every single one of them before his eyes fell on her.

"Sakamei?" She smiled as she rose, moving towards the man as fast as she could.

"Celia," she said as the two embraced. Celia had been her dance teacher before she had stopped. He didn't look any different, other than the fact that his hair had once been lime green upon her insistence. He had been one of her mother's closest friends, though he did bother her father quite a lot when he happened to uncontrollably flirt with any man he was near.

"Dear me, you've gotten big, and so has your butt." Sakamei glared at the man as he smiled playfully. "Oh well, I guess that I'll just have to get you back in shape this month. Where's my Hinata?" Hinata joined them, smiling at the man that she hadn't seen since last year.

"My, my, you look lovely. And I'm sure that your bra size might get a little bigger than hers. Be careful, sweetie." Sakamei began growing frustrated with the gay man as he said he was only kidding.

"Alright, children," the man said, drawing their attention. "I'm going to start off by pairing you off boy to girl. I want boys on the right and girls on the left."

They did as he said, lining up haphazardly at his sides. He started by picking random boys, comparing their "facial beauty" and figure before placing them with a girl. Nyssa began to feel as if he were ignoring her and her friends on purpose as she was left with TenTen, Temari, Hinata, Sakura, Neji, Sasuke, Naruto, Shikamaru, and Kiba. Ino had been put with Sai, and she pretended to give a damn about who they were paired with as she cuddled with her boyfriend.

"What's your name?" He was addressing Naruto, and the boy smiled a little too brightly for the man.

"Naruto Uzumaki. Nice to meet you—?" The boy stopped when Celia took his hand and began examining them closely.

"You have very large hands. I think that you would be a lovely partner to dance with, but you're too hyper. You need a partner that can keep you calm while she also compliments your rough demeanor." He looked at the girls, taking in each of their faces.

"You're perfect for him." Naruto's eyes widened as the man pointed to Temari, the girl smiling wickedly as she approached him.

"Get ready to tango, Blondie." She pulled a slightly scared Naruto off into the corner where he other dancers sat, turning to watch the others find their partners. Sakamei looked to Hinata, who was frowning slightly, most likely because she hadn't been paired with Naruto. She leaned closer to the girl so that only she could hear.

"Don't worry, Hinata. Naruto is close to finding out how you feel." She blushed, both girls straightening as Celia looked at them.

"Neji, dearest, I will pair you with this one here. You should be able to teach her to dance, won't you?" Neji smiled as he moved over to TenTen, the girl turned away from him before the boy swiftly gripped her arm and led her away.

"What are your names, boys?"

"Shikamaru Nara."

"Kiba Inuzuka."

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Celia looked to Kiba first, taking in the boy's feral grin and watching a whole story play out before his eyes: Beauty and the Beast. His eyes gleamed as he turned to the girls.

"I have an idea for the first short play. You and Kiba will be partners, Hinata." The girl was relieved that she had been placed with a childhood friend as he led her over to Naruto and Temari, the blonde struggling to get out of the female's grasp as she held him in a bear hug.

"Sasuke, you seem like a confident young man. You're so pale too, just like Sakamei." Sasuke's eyes moved to the girl, causing her to look away immediately. A small smirk formed on his lips as he watched the girl do all she could not to look at him.

"You two would be a beautiful couple." Celia began to push the girl over to him, and then stopped, a thought coming to him.

"But this is what the crowd would expect. This won't work." He began pushing her back, nearly causing the girl to trip.

"Sasuke, I'll put you with Sakura here. You two will show people that couples can consist of two people with calm demeanors. That means you're with Sakamei, Shikamaru." Sakamei was slightly relieved that she didn't have to dance with the boy with obsidian eyes as Shikamaru slowly made his way over to her, mumbling something about dancing being a drag.

"I am willing to switch partners with Shikamaru!" Naruto's voice filled the room before Temari wrapped her arm tightly around his neck to quiet him down. The boy was literally choking as she smiled up at them.

Sakamei stood with Shika as the other couples moved to the middle of the room at Celia's insistence.

"We're going to start with a waltz. Hinata, come for a second." The girl moved forward. "I will show you the correct way for you to hold your partners." The man placed his right hand on the girl's hip and took her right hand in his left. Their bodies were a few inches apart, and their posture was straight yet loose as Hinata placed her free hand on his shoulder. He released the girl, allowing her to go back to her partner before speaking. "Take this position with your partner please."

They did as he aid, and Sakamei was surprised to find that Shikamaru took the form perfectly, perfecting it right away. He noticed her surprise and rolled his lazy brown eyes.

"My father's rich too, you know?" She smiled, enjoying being partners with the boy already. Celia was walking around the room, straightening people up here and there. He nodded his consent to Sakamei and Shikamaru before moving back to the front of the room.

"Our first routine will be a waltz. Now—"

The man stopped when the doors opened and Celia's partner, Mito, walked into the room, heavily winded as he dropped his bag and joined the man.

"Sorry I'm late. I had a hard time getting here." He smiled nervously, his dark red hair moving into his face as he smiled nervously. Sakamei could feel the girls swooning around them.

"_He's so cute!_"

"_He's so hot!_"

"He's so gay," Sakamei couldn't help but say loudly. This quieted the girls down and Mito's eyes found the culprit immediately.

"Thanks for telling the world, Sakamei. And to think that I thought you loved me." Celia frowned, moving forward to confront the boy.

"What's wrong with letting the world know that you're gay? I'm willing to tell anyone who asks." Mito smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm sure they can tell without asking." Celia ignored this, turning to the class once more.

"Alright, my partner and I will demonstrate the natural turn for you." They took their form, Mito taking the male's position and Celia taking the females. "Watch closely and begin when you are ready."

The steps were slightly difficult as the two began. Mito stepped forward with his right, and then out with his left, bringing his right to meet his left. Celia did the opposite, stepping back with left and to the side with his right, and then bringing his right to meet his left. Mito then stepped back with his left, to the side with his right, and his left foot closing to the right. Celia stepped forward with his right, to the side with his left, and brought his right to meet it. The repeated this again and again, a few couples catching on quickly.

Sakamei nearly missed Shikamaru's signal when he told her that he was beginning. He led her slowly, his movements strong yet elegant. He was light on his feet, moving gracefully as he led her through the footsteps and turning circles with her.

She was enjoying dancing with the boy, though her eyes found Sakura and Sasuke moving in the same manner, the boy moving as gracefully as Shikamaru. Sakura was smiling, and they looked like a _couple_.

Sakamei looked back to Shikamaru who raised an eyebrow at her wandering eyes, knowing exactly where her thoughts were.

"Don't worry. Sasuke may have a lot of people on his mind, but Sakura isn't one of them." She looked up at the boy, smiling slightly as they continued their movements. It took a while, but soon the whole room understood their movements, being able to move nearly perfectly with each other.

They had stayed for four hours, learning the box step, the whisk, and the reverse pivot, putting them into sequence for their dance. Sakamei was relieved that Shikamaru was such a good dancer, because she would have died if she had to suffer through Naruto, Kiba, or Choji stepping on her toes the whole time.

She had been talking to Mito and Celia about what had been happening with her family when she was grabbed from behind, pale arms wrapping around her upper body. She knew who it was immediately.

"Come with me." Sasuke didn't let her answer as he pulled her into her away from the two men, their eyes filled with amusement as the girl struggled to get away from him. Were they seriously going to let her be dragged away like that?

He only released her when they were next to Naruto's car, though he only spun her around and wrapped his arms around her once more.

"What do you want?" Sakamei refused to meet his eyes as his obsidian orbs strove to catch her attention.

"I want to look at my _girlfriend_ without having to force her to face me." Sakamei blushed at his words, freaking a little when he nibbled at her exposed neck. She stopped struggling in his grasp as she realized that she had no reason to feel uncomfortable with him when he was obviously claiming that they were dating.

His lips moved along her jaw slowly, his fingers gently tilting her face towards him until their lips met. The kiss was sweet and cute, everything that she wouldn't have expected from Sasuke. His lips pressed against hers again and again, gentle and playful, and she began to enjoy the feeling, though she missed the aggressive way Sasuke had kissed her at the movies.

When his teeth tugged at her lip slightly his arms tightened around her and she was trapped between his body and the car. His tongue darted out and began to taste her lips, her arms winding around his neck as his tongue begged for entrance into her mouth. She appeased him, her lips parting slightly as his tongue pushed into her mouth.

She didn't know how long they were there, but soon the need for air brought their lips apart. Sasuke began to move in once more when a voice erupted from the other side of the car.

"Rape! Rape! A girl is being held captive by some guy she's only known for a five months! I need help! Quickly!" Temari circled the car, TenTen following closely behind her. Naruto and Kiba joined soon after, irking the dark haired boy that refused to release _his_ object of affection as she tried to pull away from him.

"What do you want?" Temari raised an eyebrow at his snappy tone, sharing a look with TenTen before speaking.

"I just wanted to make sure Sakamei had a ride home. I wasn't sure if I should kick your ass or not for dragging her away like that." Sasuke only glared at the blonde girl before his arms wound around the struggling girl tighter.

"I'm taking her home." Temari looked at Sakamei, then back at the boy, unable to believe his words.

"And I should believe that because…?" Sasuke's glare hardened before he looked down at Sakamei, the girl finally giving in to him.

"I'll ride home with Sasuke." She could tell that he was satisfied as he looked at Temari, ridicule in his eyes as he did. She stuck her tongue at him, turning to TenTen and whispering about something as she glanced at the couple. Sakamei could have sworn she heard the words 'bet', 'pregnant', and 'seventeen', and she would have choked the girl if Sasuke hadn't begun to nuzzle his face into her neck, smirking when the girl twitched. He knew she was ticklish, and she found it nice to know that Sasuke could be playful sometimes.

Naruto jumped before the couple, smiling widely as he spoke.

"Sakamei, what did the book say to the page, dattebayo?" The girl frowned and Sasuke rolled his eyes, knowing that the boy was, once again, trying to prove to TenTen that he was funny.

"I don't know, Naruto. What did the book say?"

"'Don't turn away from me!'"

A black eyebrow rose as Sasuke eyed his idiotic best friend, the others staring at the white-haired girl as they waited for her response.

Sakamei smiled, Naruto telling Kiba that he really was funny before TenTen smacked the boy in the back of the head, smiling slightly as he cowered away from her.

"I'll give you one, Naruto. It's funny if you're a nerd like Sakamei." Said girl frowned as Naruto groaned, his hand still rubbing his head.

"Then why did you hit me!" Sasuke had grown tired of their interruption. He had been trying to get Sakamei's attention by tilting his head each way she did so that her eyes would fall on him, but the girl strove not to look at him as she blushed slightly.

"I would rather go home than watch them make out. TenTen, let's blow this popsicle stand!" She and TenTen swagged away, leaving Sakamei with Naruto, Kiba, and Sasuke.

"So, Sasuke," Naruto began, rocking back and forth on his heels with his hands in his pockets. "You do realize that you rode in my car, right? I have a few rules for the both of you." He pulled a paper out of his pocket, a real list scribbled onto it. He and Kiba took turns saying them out loud.

"Number 1: No kissing in the car."

"Number 2: No hugging in the car."

"Number 3: No holding hands in the car."

"Number 4: No _touching _in the car."

"Number 5: No molesting Sakamei—"

Sasuke snatched the paper away tossing it in the trash bin nearby. Naruto glared at the boy, Sasuke glaring right back at him. Sakamei was still a little shocked from Naruto's fifth rule, and she thought about running to catch up with Temari before Sasuke opened the door and gently pushed her into the back seat of the car.

* * *

><p>The ride was quiet, except for Naruto's music blaring from the speakers. Sasuke had managed to get away with a few brushes and caresses, the two up front not noticing at all as Sakamei squirmed underneath his touch. She wondered if he even understood the concept of rules at all.<p>

Naruto dropped the couple off at Sasuke's house, four cars parked out front, including his own. He stepped out of the car, taking Sakamei with them. She barely had any time to say goodbye to Naruto and Kiba before Sasuke grabbed their bags and pulled her away, leading her to his front door as Naruto backed the car out of the long driveway and sped off.

She wondered why they were going into his house as a thought occurred to her. Would he really try to do that when his family was home?

"Don't worry. I'm not that much of a pervert." She questioned this in her mind as he unlocked the door and stepped inside, removing his shoes and lifting them into his hands as he turned to her.

"We can get cleaned up upstairs." He didn't give her time to protest as he took off up ahead of her, disappearing from her view. She quickly stepped out of her shoes and headed into the direction he headed, hoping she was going the right way.

She found the stairs and moved up them quietly, nearly shrieking when she turned a corner and Sasuke was standing right before her. "I forgot that you've never been here before. Come on."

He gripped her wrist and led her down a maze of halls before they reached his bedroom door. She was eager to look around as he opened the door.

It was large, so it took her a while to get around the room and see all that she could with her sucky sight. The walls were white, and there were cherry wood floors with a large black carpet in the middle of the room. His king sized bed was against the wall, a black satin comforter and white satin pillows neatly set upon it. There was a large flat screen on the wall across from it, a dresser underneath it. A black desk was set up near the window opposite of the door, and a walk in closet was at the right of the TV and dresser. A walk in bathroom was at its left, and she could see a large shower and a Jacuzzi bath from where she stood.

Sasuke moved her over to the bathroom, giving her the purple bag. "You can take a quick shower if you want, though you can't blame me if I'm tempted to join you." Sakamei glared at him as she set her bag down and began to collect her things out of it. He moved to the dresser, removing his watch and the diamond stud in his ear as she rose and moved into the restroom, remembering to lock the door. He heard the door _click_ and snickered. As if he didn't have a key.

Sakamei showered quickly, now drying her hair as she listened for Sasuke outside of the room. He had been silent for a while now, and she wondered what he was doing.

She went to her clothes, laying them flat on the counter. She realized that she was missing something.

Her panties.

She could have sworn that she had got them out of her bag. Maybe she had dropped them—

Her eyes widened as she realized that she must have dropped them. She wrapped her towel around herself before moving to the door and quietly unlocking it. She stuck her head out, looking as far as she could for the boy. She heard nothing from any part of the room, so she quietly stepped out of the room and looked along the floor leading from her bag to the bathroom. Where the hell were they?

"Looking for these?" Sasuke stepped before her, causing her eyes to travel up his body before landing on his amused face. They then moved to his hand, and guess what was dangling from his fingers.

_Her freaking panties._

He stretched them out, looking at the lime green lace with a slight smile on his face.

"How lovely. I've always wondered what type of underwear you wore." She could feel her cheeks flaming as she tried to get the underwear away from him, but he continued to easily dodge her advances.

"Sasuke, _please_!" He froze then, his eyes gleaming when they widened in slight surprise, giving her the chance to snatch the panties away. He looked down at her, his dark eyes thoughtful.

"I would love to hear you beg more." She dashed into the restroom, locking it once more before dressing quickly in her clothes. When she was in her lime green underwear she could hear the boy moving around the room, gathering things that she wasn't sure of. She didn't know what he had going on in his mind, and she was curious.

Sakamei got into her black shorts and long sleeved lime green shirt, wishing her shorts were longer as she stepped out of the bathroom.

Sasuke was at the dresser, his eyes moving to her as she moved into the room. She placed her clothes into her bag and rose, turning to the boy.

"What do I do while you're in there?" The boy emerged from the bathroom after placing his clothes inside, going back to the drawer as a secretive smile met his lips.

"Are you afraid to stay out here alone? You could come into the restroom and watch me shower, though I might put on a show for you—"

Sasuke stopped when the girl threw the first thing she could find in her bag, shrieking when the boy grabbed the bra that had hit him in the face. He examined the hot pink fabric, allowing the girl to take it from him as he tilted his head as if he were trying to see if he was missing something about the girl.

"You like lace, don't you?" She glared at the Uchiha boy, backing away from him until he was completely out of her view.

"You think I would stop teasing you just because you can't see me? I can very well see you." The girl turned her back to his voice, crossing her arms over her chest and staying this way for five second before she was grabbed from behind, the boy turning as they fell onto his bed so that she lay halfway on top of him.

He found plenty things about Sakamei cute: the way she got nervous when he touched her, and the way her white eyes narrowed as if giving him a warning when he tried touching her at the wrong times. He loved the way her confidence grew only when he kissed her, allowing him to hold her close until they had been separated by the movie ending or their friends making sure that the girl was okay. He felt as if the last five months had been years and that he had learned every single thing about her, yet he knew he had so much more to learn. He had never felt this way about any girl he had ever been with, and the feeling he got when he was with her was breathtaking, even if he looked as confident as ever.

"I love you, Sakamei."

Sasuke did not look at the girl to see the way she processed this. He felt her move to lie completely on top of him, knowing that he was avoiding her eye contact on purpose. Her white eyes met his obsidian ones, and she could see that he was completely serious.

Sakamei had never been in a relationship before. She knew that her feelings for Sasuke were special, but she wasn't sure if she was ready to confess that she was in love. They had only been dating for two months, and before they had begun dating, the boy still seemed upset about his breakup with Sakura.

How could she be sure that he wasn't still upset about it?

"Sasuke…" The boy had moved from underneath her, rising from the bed as she turned to look at him. He moved forward, leaning down to kiss her lips and offering her a genuine smile.

"Don't worry, Sakamei. It will be a matter of time before I make you feel the same way." Sakamei felt relief flood her, as she had thought that Sasuke had become upset when she hadn't responded to him. He pressed his lips to hers again, this kiss long and gentle before he pulled away, the familiar smirk finding its way to his lips once more.

"You know, I'm still offering to let you watch when I show—"

Sakamei pushed the boy away, smiling at him as he moved into the white abyss, and she couldn't wait until he moved back into her view and got rid of the loneliness she felt when the white became a burden.

* * *

><p>I loved this Chapter!<p>

Please review!


	22. Trust

For Gaara''sWife since she's been waiting for me to update lol. I;ve had this chapter for a wile now. I just haven't gotten arund to updating. Forgive me!

THANKS TO ALL THE NEW FOLLOWERS!

i'M sO hApPy To HaVe YoU!

* * *

><p>Trust<p>

Sasuke continued to convince the girl to come over to his house every time they left practice, always surprising her with words she would have never expected. They had been together for a month now, and as they grew closer, Sasuke's family became more and more curious about who he was spending so much time with.

When Sasuke finished cleaning up it was five-thirty, and the boy decided to change all plans of going out with the girl. Instead he decided to pull the girl onto his bed and molest her for the next hour or so.

Sakamei shrieked each time Sasuke grabbed her somewhere she wasn't expecting his hands to strive for, and soon she wished that she hadn't even thought about Sasuke's rough, perverted side.

He decided that he had had enough of squeezing the girl and instead lay halfway on top of her to prevent her from moving away from him. She allowed him to leave small kisses on her neck as his left hand ran up and down her side underneath her shirt.

She closed her eyes as she lay on the large bed, the small movement of his fingers on her side making her grow tired and sigh. Sasuke looked up at her immediately, and she knew that he wouldn't allow her to fall asleep on him.

"Saka _No kimi_,"

Sakamei frowned as she opened her eyes.

"Don't call me that." Sasuke smirked at the girl as he kissed the left side of her collarbone, making her twitch away from him slightly.

"I thought that girls liked being called princess. Would you rather have me call you Titsy like Temari and TenTen? Naruto, your family, and the others call you Saka, but I want my own nick name for you." Sakamei frowned as she looked at the pondering boy that had become frustrated because he didn't have a cruel name to call her like Temari and TenTen.

"Sasuke-_kun_…you can be the only person that calls me Sakamei alone."

"No."

The girl felt offended by the boy's quick response and decided that she wouldn't offer her advice again as he thought about his options. He laid his head on her chest, wrapping his arms around her as he thought to himself. She played with the silver chain around his neck absently, her other hand moving lazily up and down his back as he spoke again.

"I can call you _oka-chan_, since you'll be my wife by the time we graduate from high school." Sakamei's hand froze on his back as her eyes widening. She began stuttering before giving him a loud _no_ as she thought about being married to the man. She couldn't imagine being the wife of the egotistically handsome man. She blushed at the thought of just sleeping in the same bed as him every night, but then again, she doubted that they would be able to sleep at all if she had to fight the boy off of her every five seconds now.

"Then I would prefer Saka _No Kimi_." Sasuke shrugged, nuzzling closer to her like an infant.

"I was going to call you that anyways." Sakamei would have glared at the boy if he hadn't began kissing at her neck, making a sigh as his lips covered hers. He pulled his lips away after a few seconds arrogantly, looking down at her as she gripped his shirt.

"_Teme_," Sasuke smiled at her, kissing her lips again.

"Not _teme_, _anata_." Sakamei blushed, never once thinking about calling the boy _darling_, or better yet _sweetheart._ She had no time to respond as his lips covered hers again.

She continued to tug at his shirt as he pulled away again and the girl smiled, unknowingly in a very flirtatious way at the boy.

"_Teme_," Sasuke kissed her again, pushing his tongue against her lips like he would suffocate if he didn't feel his lips against hers again. Sakamei parted her lips for him, pulling his tongue into her mouth and sucking at it, causing the boy to stiffen before he moved closer to her. Sasuke moved between her legs and tightening his grip around her waist, pushing their mouths together harder and making the girl groan beneath him as he pulled her tongue into his mouth and sucked on it as hard as she had done to his.

Sakamei felt Sasuke begin to grind against her, moving one hand to caress her thigh just under her shorts as her arms wound around his neck. He allowed the girl to breathe as he began to suck at her pulse, making her shift underneath him.

Sakamei began to blush as his hands roamed on her body heavily, stopping when and where they pleased until she pulled him closer and caused the boy to stop his hands and wrap his arms tight around the girl.

Sasuke looked down at her, the girl biting her lip in embarrassment as he heavily examined every inch of her face.

Never had he seen such a perfect face, as if Michelangelo himself had carved her perfect beauty into stone. Sasuke could stare at her for hours if the girl didn't turn away from him or cover her face every time she got embarrassed as she was doing now.

"Sakamei," he said, his eyes narrowing on the girl as her hands covered her face.

"Stop staring," she responded, feeling the boy sit up as she peeked at him between her fingers. The boy pulled off his shirt, gently laying it in the chair next to the bed. She had no idea what he was doing and was eager to find out, but when he looked at her again she closed the spaces between her fingers, hiding her face once more.

Sasuke ran his fingers through her hair and felt her stiffen underneath him. He smirked slightly, moving his fingertips down the curve of her face and along the side of her neck, the ticklish girl twitching slightly before his fingers ran down her chest. The boy avoided reaching into the fabric and instead ran his fingers over it, imagining what her skin would feel like when it wasn't covered by the cotton material. His eyes followed his hand down between her chest before resting at the hem of her black undershirt.

The girl held her breath, knowing that the boy was waiting for her reaction with that arrogant smirk on his face.

Sasuke began to lift both shirts above the girl's waist, looking at the pale skin of her flat stomach. Sakamei peeked at him again, watching as the boy's hands moved to her hips and he slid down until he lay his forehead on her stomach. Sakamei began to feel relieved as she thought that the boy would stop there, closing her eyes once she saw the raven close his, but jerked up slightly when she felt his lips on her stomach.

Sasuke restrained her, gripping her hips tighter as his lips continued to move along her skin. They were quick and gentle, his soft lips soft as she felt a soft pull here and there before the boy began to suck at her skin, his tongue darting out and tasting her wherever his lips fell. Sakamei's hand covered her mouth and stopped a shriek that tried to omit from her as her other hand tried to push the boy away.

He had begun sucking at the point just above her belly button by then, his eyes closed as his tongue moved over the sweet skin beneath him. When he grew tired of the girl trying to get away from him, he moved up to kiss her neck, the girl relaxing slightly at the familiar gesture. His tongue played over the skin until the girl shuddered, making him smile darkly.

He had found her spot.

He began sucking at the spot and Sakamei's eyes widened as she realized that he was striving to leave a mark on her, and when she realized this she tugged at the boy's hair, making her freeze when the dark-haired boy looked up at her.

His obsidian eyes were narrowed and she could feel the tension radiating from his skin. She would have expected him to be angry, but nothing could stop her from feeling the emotion that overtook her when he spoke.

"I'm okay with you pulling my hair, but I would prefer scratches over you messing it up in the middle of the afternoon." The boy grunted when Sakamei kneed him in the gut, though she didn't do it hard enough to hurt him. She pouted when she realized that he was humoring her.

She crossed her arms over her chest as the boy rolled over to the end of the bed, sitting with his feet on the floor as he looked over at her.

"So, what do you think?" Sakamei's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the boy, her confusion making him groan as he moved to grab his shirt.

"The hickey I just left you." Sakamei's eyes widened as she rose from the bed, rushing past the boy to get to where she hoped the mirror was. She stopped when the closet door came into view instead. An amused Sasuke snuck up behind the confused girl, tapping her shoulder and catching a glare as she looked back at him. He silently pointed to the mirror further over, the girl moving over to it before nearly tripping over her own bag. She glared at the snickering Sasuke before continuing on and examining her neck in the mirror where she remembered the warmth of his lips.

She leaned forward, moving her hair and tilting her head to catch the light on the purple bruise on her neck.

The _heart shaped_ bruise on her neck.

She turned to look at the boy standing a few feet behind her, his shirt in hand as his face remained unreadable and his eyes showed all the amusement she needed to see.

"It took me a while to get it right, but it looks perfect on you." Sakamei didn't know if she wanted to choke the boy or rush out of the nearest window as her fists clenched at her side. What if her father saw it?

"I-I dislike you!" she said, crossing her arms over her chest as she turned away from him, her head held high as the boy moved closer to her.

The girl nearly shrieked when he pulled her into a tight embrace, a confident smile on his face.

"You can't say you hate me, can you?" Sakamei's eyes widened as she began to speak, but no words left her mouth. She only looked away, her eyes scrunched up in anger.

Sasuke continued his ridicule. "You know that your feelings for me are growing, and soon the only thing you'll be able to say to upset me is that you love me more than I could ever love you."

Sakamei did not look at the boy, letting his words process in her mind just as there as a knock at the door.

"Sasuke-_bō_, are you here?"

Sasuke growled at the male voice coming through the door, glaring at it as if he could see through the wood.

"I told you to stop calling me that! What do you want?" Sakamei looked up at the boy as he spoke, unsure if she should hide in the closet or something.

"Sorry, little brother. I wanted to let you know that mother wants to talk to you. Deidera happened to tell her about your girlfriend and—"

"What the hell is his problem!"

Sakamei froze. His _brother _and his _mom_ knew about them now?

"Sorry, Sasuke, I couldn't help it. Your mom's so nice. She bribed me, you know? Cookies for answers about the date I happened to run into you on. Why don't you come downstairs and fill her in about everything else?" Sasuke growled as Sakamei moved out of his embrace, actually moving towards the window and actually begin to climb out.

Sasuke grabbed the girl and pulled her back in, keeping his arms tight around the girl as a dark smile marred his face.

"We'll be right out." Sakamei's eyes widened as he spoke. What the hell did he mean _'we'_?

"You brought her here! Wait till you see her, Itachi! She's way hotter than Sakura!"

"Shut up, Deidera!" Sasori's voice erupted from down the hall and Sasuke's eyes narrowed. So Sakura's boyfriend was here?

"I want to go home. Right now." Sasuke looked to the girl as she his brother's footsteps sounded down the hall, Deidera talking about something he had caught Sasori doing when they were meeting up at work, causing the red head to smack the blonde so hard that he yelled out.

"But I want you to stay." Sakamei glared at the raven, making him smirk. "You'll have to meet my mom sometime. Why can't it be now?" Sakamei looked nervous as she pulled away from him, straightening the light blue sun dress that had been wrinkled by Sasuke's roving hands.

"I-I'm not ready. I'm not dressed well, and-and-and I _really, __**really**_have to pee right now." The girl had begun to speak through clenched teeth as she rushed to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. He waited patiently until she emerged, still as nervous as ever.

"Let's go, Sakamei." He took her hand, dragging the opposing girl after him as he opened his bedroom door and started down the long hall.

"Stop it, Sasuke! I-I think my dad might have called, or maybe my brother. I didn't tell them that I was here." Sasuke would not be fooled that easily.

"You called your dad when we got here." The girl cursed under her breath, or she said what she substituted for them. Curse words weren't apart of her vocabulary.

Sasuke reached the stairs and Sakamei grabbed the banister, making the boy stop and turn.

"Do you want me to carry you? I don't mind doing it." Sakamei knew that the boy was serious, so she released the wooden pillar, allowing him to lead her down the stairs. She pouted the whole way, glaring at Sasuke as she listed every way she could murder him and hide his body in her head. She was at the ninth crime scene when they stopped before the large kitchen where Sasuke's mother stood with a number of Itachi's friends.

They all stopped when they saw the girl, their movements ceasing all together. She blushed, wanting so badly to turn away from them as they stared at her.

"She's way to adorable for Sasuke."

The younger Uchiha boy glared at Sasuke as they all swarmed the girl, questioning her and even attempting to flirt. When Sasuke had had enough of them all fawning over his girlfriend, he yanked her out of the mass, and Sakamei had never felt so relieved to have Sasuke hold her close.

Itachi smiled, he and his mother moving forward to look at the girl closely.

"What's your name?" Sakamei attempted to stop blushing, but this only made things worse as she twiddled her fingers in a very Hinata like way.

"Sakamei," she answered, avoiding eye contact with the both of them as Mikoto continued to question her with a smile that made Sakamei believe that she was already planning a wedding.

"Really? Are you sixteen?" Sakamei continued to fidget with her fingers, Sasuke offering no help at all.

"Fifteen, Mikoto-_chama_," the girl mumbled, hearing Itachi's friends _awing _at her speech pattern. She blushed harder, this tie from anger. She hated when people laughed at the way she spoke.

"But Sasuke told me you're in the same grade…you must be Zero's daughter!" She watched the woman's eyes go aflame with happiness as she continued.

"Fugaku would be so happy to know that you and Sasuke have gotten together! I should tell him right away!" The woman went off to another room, leaving a pouting Sakamei very upset as she was asked to say –_chama _again.

Sasuke allowed the girl to suffer a while longer before Hidan made the girl blush a little too much. Sakamei was completely shocked by the way he spoke, but Sasuke wouldn't allow her to hear anything else that left his mouth, no matter how curious she was.

He led her back up the stairs to grab her bag before disappearing with her out of the house, leaving the very upset men in the house with an even more upset Mikoto.

As soon as the two reached the parking lot, a black Rolls Royce pulled into the parking lot beside Itachi's Bentley. Sakamei had only heard it approaching, but when it came into view she couldn't help but feel tension radiating off of Sasuke.

A tall man stepped out of the car, Sasuke's eyes on him as he moved forward. His long hair was tied back, and his skin was tanned, as if he had been in it a long while. The thing that told Sakamei that he was an Uchiha was his cold, obsidian eyes.

He was so related to Sasuke.

"Father," Sasuke said, acknowledging the man as he moved closer.

The man did not respond, his eyes falling on the white-haired girl beside him. Sakamei did not know what to do or say, and she felt as nervous as she had with Sasuke's mother when the man's eyes fell on their intertwined fingers.

"Another one, Sasuke? Whatever happened to that pink-haired girl you were so close with?" Sakamei felt the disappointment and shock fall on her face immediately, her breath catching audibly in her throat as the man's eyes moved to his son.

"Sakura and I have been apart for a long while now. Our relationship is no more. I am with Sakamei now, and I want you to respect it. I won't let you ruin anything else that's important to me again."

Fugaku's response was only a small smirk, his eyes falling on the silent girl beside Sasuke as her strange eyes stayed on the ground before her, her slight hurt and disappointment fully visible on her pretty face.

"Strange, I can swear you said the same thing about Sakura."

Sakamei was surprised when Sasuke stiffened beside her, and her surprise did not end when she looked up at the boy to find that his realization proved it true.

She looked away once more, her eyes finding the same crack in the sidewalk as before.

It seemed to draw her attention, but she couldn't find the reason why.

"I expect you home for dinner tonight. We have guests coming over, and I want you as presentable as ever, not strung over some nine month fling." The man moved past them, stopping once more as a thought occurred to him.

"What a shame. I could see her as the perfect trophy wife for any man to flaunt around. If only you hadn't gotten to her first, Itachi would have had a lovely, young wife to shower his interminable affection on. It's not every day you find a girl as beautiful as this one, though her beauty must mean that she's lacking something."

Sakamei tried to keep herself from shaking, something she did when she wanted to do something she knew she couldn't, and right now that was putting space between her and Sasuke. She knew that he wouldn't even give her the chance, and she also knew that even though he seemed cold and emotionless, her withdrawal would upset him in some way.

"Don't listen to him, Sakamei."

She looked up at Sasuke, his eyes straight ahead as he continued.

"My father, he's never approved of my choices, and since he's included me as an heir of the Uchiha law firm, he expects me to make decisions that he will be pleased with. He's highly mistaken."

Sakamei did not respond, causing the dark-haired Uchiha heir to look down at her, his obsidian eyes smoldering.

"Never believe anything he tells you."

The girl looked up at him with a smile, attempting to show him that she was fine, and she was surprised that the boy relaxed when she did. He silently led her to the passenger seat of his car, opening the door for her and closing it before climbing in himself.

The girl tried her hardest to hide her turmoil, but in the middle of the ride, she had gone silent within her own thoughts. What if Sasuke still had feelings for Sakura?

Sakamei had to be shaken by Sasuke to realize that they had arrived at her house, and she quickly moved to remove her seatbelt, beginning to open the door before a strong hand gripped her wrist and pulled her into a passionate kiss from the Uchiha nearby.

He held the girl in his arms as she went weak against him, his eyes on her as their kiss went on. He held her until he felt her grip his shirt, the need for air overpowering the heat felt filling her system.

He slowly pulled his lips from hers, his eyes on her pale face as she inhaled slowly, her eyes remaining closed as she tried to catch her breath.

When her eyes finally opened he held her gaze, his hand moving to touch her cheek.

"This is more than just a nine month fling. It's something that the both of us will watch grow into something more and more beautiful than the both of us will ever realize. I love you, Sakamei."

Sakamei felt her chest tighten at his words as the boy went silent, his eyes holding hers as if he were awaiting her response.

"S-Sasuke…"

When she did not continue to speak Sasuke pulled her forward once more for a strong, deep kiss, holding her face in his hands as he deepened their kiss even more.

Sakamei didn't think that she could breathe as he pulled away from her, turning to start the car once more.

"I think that your father is waiting for you. You should hurry inside before he comes out. I don't think he trusts me that much...but then again, I can tell he isn't the only one."

Sakamei felt guilt consume her entire being, but when she saw someone step into her view from the corner of her eye, she moved to leave the car. Before she opened the car door she looked to Sasuke, his eyes on the woman that had moved before his car.

"I…I'll call you tonight…if you want me to." Sasuke had always been the one to call her unexpectedly, speaking to her about trivial things or even convincing her to tell her everything that had ever made her smile or what made her cry, just so he could avoid those things or know what he could do to fix those mistakes.

He was sweeter than he seemed.

"I don't think that I would be able to answer. My father's guests often stay over late, and I have some things to take care of to add to that." Sakamei tried not to show her disappointment and guilt growing, as the first time she had offered to spend with had been rejected.

"But since it's the weekend, you can't be upset with me for calling you at two or three in the morning."

Sakamei smiled at the Uchiha as he looked to her, his obsidian eyes filled with amusement as she moved (shockingly) to leave a kiss on the boy's lips. Sasuke's surprise lasted for less than a second before he returned it, his eyes closing as he enjoyed the feeling of her lips against his.

A knock on the hood of his car brought the two apart, the woman in the suit before them rolling her eyes.

"I don't even want to imagine what you're doing behind those_ completely tinted windows_!" Sasuke growled quietly deep in his throat, his eyes darkening as they narrowed on the woman.

"Who the hell is she?"

Sakamei bit her lip, moving her arms from around the neck as he slowly slid his arms from around his neck.

"My therapist."

She didn't look at the expression on Sasuke's face as she quickly grabbed her bag and opened the door, leaving the smallest touch of her lips on his cheek before stepping out of the car, closing the door behind her.

"Sakamei, how have you been?" The woman smiled at the girl, Sakamei glancing in the direction of Sasuke's car as he took his time pulling away, knowing he was glaring at the woman that had interrupted them before he sped off.

"Wow, he drives really fast. Are you sure your boyfriend is safe?" Sakamei looked to the brunette standing beside her, the woman smiling as if she were kidding, but the look in her eye was completely serious.

"What are you doing here?" Dr. Casaba frowned, running her fingers through her hair.

"Don't you remember, Sakamei? This is your yearly checkup. Twice every year."

* * *

><p>Dun Dun Dun! Keep reading!<p> 


	23. Haunting Memories

WARNINGWARNINGWARNING: Sasuke OOC

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><p>Haunting Memories<p>

Sakamei sat silently before the coffee table, her eyes on the hot, thick liquid in the cup Dr. Casaba had given her, not trusting the woman enough not to have slipped her medication into it.

"What's wrong, Sakamei-_chan_? You usually enjoy drinking milk and honey. Have you lost your sweet tooth?" The doctor smiled at her, her green eyes full of innocence that made her want to hurl.

She had never liked Dr. Casaba. Ever since she was four she had felt guilt coming from the doctor and her father every time she had come for home visits, and this was when she had been blind. Even though she couldn't see it, she could _feel_ the emotions radiating from the two each time they were in the same room. Not to mention that her mother was always silent every time she had come around.

"I don't want it."

Her father frowned, having been sitting next to the doctor as he watched them interact with each other. Even Sakamei tried hard enough, she could tell that the tension between the two had lessened, and this had happened since her mother's death had moved further and further into the past until the woman stopped coming by as often.

She didn't want to accuse her father of what had come to her subconscious since she was a child, but it became more evident every time.

The doctor knew that Sakamei wasn't denying the drink, but the medication she hadn't been taking for six months now.

Fujita Casaba sat up, her mood becoming serious as she looked at the girl on the floor.

"Sakamei, this is serious. If you stop taking your medication you won't be able to keep your emotions in check and soon you'll end up in the hospital from cardiac arrest. I don't want that happening to you again."

Sakamei's fists clenched I her lap as she continued to stare at the liquid in the glass, her vision becoming blurry with tears of frustration.

"But I'm not the same with the medicine. It makes me different."

The doctor moved closer to the girl, placing her hand on hers as her eyebrows furrowed.

"It doesn't make you different. It makes you yourself. Remember how you used to be when you were a kid? That's who you told me you were really were. Don't you remember?"

Of course she remembered. Form the age of five and up until she was ten she had been quiet, cold, and emotionally withdrawn. She had cared for nothing except for music and knowledge, but when she was alone in her room after her siblings had given up on trying to get her to join them in their games, she had felt an overwhelming urge to cry, but it seemed as if her physical body was immune to emotion altogether. Only her heart knew how she really felt.

"I had thought that she was doing better. I thought that her medicine was really working and that her emotions were evening out. I can't believe that I didn't notice that she hadn't been taking it at all." Her father sounded guilty as he ran his fingers through his white hair, his gray-blue eyes matching the apron he had been wearing before he stopped preparing dinner to join the doctor and his youngest daughter.

"It's not your fault, Zero. It isn't the first time parents have been unable to notice that their children haven't been taking their medicine. We're just lucky that we found out in time."

Sakamei did not look at the two as she looked at her hands in her lap, the woman's own hand over them.

"Sakamei, will you take your medicine for me? You've handled four pills a day since you were seven. You can do this."

Sakamei pulled her hands away from the doctor, blinking back her tears as she responded.

"But everything will be different. With TenTen and Temari and-and Sasuke." The doctor had moved across from the girl, taking her pen and clipboard in her hands.

"Well, why don't we talk about those relationships, Sakamei? Tell me about your friends."

Sakamei had grown tired of the tears that kept falling even though she knew that they weren't needed. Sometimes she had missed the way the medication had made her forget the urges to _feel_ emotions with other people and set her mind in a foggy haze until she no longer cared for anything. This was what was different about who she _used_ to be and who the medicine _made_ her out to be. She didn't feel as if her emotions were locked in with the medication. She felt as if they weren't there at all.

But that was what she needed now.

She lifted the glass in her shaky hands, drinking from the mug as the doctor waited for her to speak. She did not want to talk to her. She refused to.

It was amazing how quickly the medicine reacted. One sip and she could feel the calming mist soothe over her. The doctor must have upped her dose when she found out.

"Sakamei?"

Another sip from the mug and she could feel the tears calming as she inhaled deeply. The doctor had begun writing, and Sakamei could feel the urge to rip the clipboard away from her and read it slipping away. She finished the mug, feeling the upset feeling of being caught leave her as she wiped at her eyes.

"If she hadn't drunk the milk and medicine, she most likely would have had an emotional breakdown here and there. I'm surprised that she was able to control herself for so long."

Zero watched the girl as she had gone still, her hand at her cheek and her lips slightly parted as her eyes stayed on the doctor's moving hand, tear stains setting into her face.

"Well, she hasn't had any reason to be sad lately, at least I haven't seen any. I hate to admit it, but going to public school has helped her more than I can imagine. I'm just not sure if dating would keep things like this. I'm afraid that she'll become too serious and she'll end up becoming too upset if the relationship doesn't go the way she hoped."

Sakamei had slowly moved her eyes to her father, looking between the two adults as they addressed her life. Her thoughts were full of questions that she did not want to address to others. They were questions for only herself.

_What would I have done if my father had said this before I took the medication?_

_I don't think that I would have left the room, as I think I'm too fatigued to do so. Maybe I would have yelled and argued with them until the doctor decided to end the session._

_Yes, I would have refused to talk to the woman and she would have left sooner. She wouldn't be sitting so close to my father or pretending that she was only there to see her. There has always been so many motives behind what she did._

"I want her to take three of these pills four times a day starting Monday before she prepares for school. Check every inch of her mouth when she takes the pills. I don't want her getting away with skipping out on her medication again."

He doctor handed the large bottle to Zero, rising from her spot on the sofa as she collected her things.

"You will have to find a way to warn her teachers about her sudden change. I'm sure that they will be surprised that the sweet girl that they're used to has gone through a discreet change..."

Zero walked the woman to the door as she continued telling him things to watch out for and things like that. Sakamei felt fatigue overwhelming her, and she was surprised that she hadn't noticed this before she had taken the medicine. Maybe it was because her emotions had overwhelmed how tired she was before.

Sakamei moved towards the stairs of the house, moving up them slowly as she slid her hands along the wall as she moved towards her room. Sakamei bit her lip as she moved into her hand, automatically changing into the pajamas she had set out before climbing into her bed and soon dozing off, her dreams void of anything but the black that she found was more comforting than the white she was forced to see every day.

* * *

><p>"Sakamei, stop reading that music. You need to eat your breakfast."<p>

Sakamei felt the binder filled with music leave her hands as her father sat at the head of the table, placing the binder at his side.

The girl silently picked up her chopsticks and slowly ate her rice, her eyes on the table as her siblings talked around her.

It felt strange to not be able to have unimportant conversations with their sister again, and since she had taken her medicine again they thought that things would be how they were before she had needed the medication.

Once the girl finished her breakfast Jux drove her to school, questioning her on her preparedness for the day. It seemed that they were worried her change in personality would have made her forget where she was supposed to go or what she was supposed to do.

Her answers were either a simple yes or no, and Jux felt the familiarity of the quiet girl he had grown up with when she was child.

Sakamei quietly stepped out of the car, taking her bag once her brother wished her a good day. If her friends didn't notice her quiet stature, they would definitely notice her change in apparel.

She did not roll up her knee length skirt as she had before, and her blouse was not slightly left open at the top. She was wearing her tie, even though Temari had told her to stop wearing it, and her black mid-thigh length leggings were covered for the first time by heelless dark gray boots that came up over her knee and were laced neatly with a black thread. Her usually loose hair was tied perfectly into a ponytail and braided before the end was brought back up into the bow.

She stepped onto the school grounds as students rushed to their lockers before the first bell rang, having been moving at her own pace and arriving later than usual. She moved to her own locker, immediately taking a disliking to the pictures and purple items decorating the inside as she switched out her books for her first class.

"Sakamei-_chan_! I thought you weren't going to come today! What took you so long?" Sakamei turned to Naruto, the blonde smiling brightly as his cerulean eyes closed from the extremity of his smile.

He was surprised when she didn't respond and instead closed her locker, holding her things neatly in her arms as Haku and Temari joined him.

"Hey, Sakamei! Why the hell haven't you been answering your phone? I've been calling you all morning! See?" The blonde female pulled the girl's phone out of her pocket, making the white-haired girl turn.

Temari showed her the seven missed calls under Temari's name, allowing Sakamei to swiftly take the phone back. Haku frowned at the girl, noticing how quiet she was just as Sasuke entered the fray.

Sakamei gasped when she was pulled away from the group and into his arms, making Temari emit gagging noises as he turned the girl to face him.

"You didn't answer my calls," he said, his obsidian eyes smoldering into hers.

"I have no reason to."

Her response surprised even Sasuke, as there was no blush or smile that usually came with her snipped response. She was completely serious.

"And why is that? The day before you wanted me to call, and I'm sure that everything was fine between us before we left." His eyes narrowed on the girl as he could tell that she wanted nothing to do with him, and he didn't like what was going on.

The first bell rang and Sakamei pulled away from him.

"You're _bothering me_." Her words were harsh and cold, and Sasuke's eyes widened as his usually sweet, shy girl turned her back and walked away from him without another word.

"Did something happen with Sakamei?" Naruto didn't expect a response from anyone as they watched the girl leave, ignoring every person that greeted her along the way.

"What the hell is going on!"

Temari smiled nervously, backing away before jumping behind Naruto. Haku smiled the same, cowering behind Temari before Naruto realized what they were doing.

Sasuke was staring straight ahead, glaring in the direction that Sakamei had disappeared in. It wasn't a glare aimed at her, they knew this, but one aimed at whoever got in its way.

"That's not fair! How are you guys going to let me get attacked by a rabid emo!"

When that certain word left his mouth, Sasuke's eyes moved to Naruto, making the blonde shiver slightly. He shrieked when Sasuke grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the now safe blonde girl and Haku.

"You're going to help me find out what the hell is going on with my girlfriend." Naruto didn't protest when Sakamei was brought up instead of the ways the Uchiha would maul him. He followed the boy to their first class shared with Sakamei.]

The girl was already at her desk, writing with a very focused look in her eye. It seemed as if she was in her own world as her hand moved over the pile of paper before her.

Sasuke went over to her immediately, dragging Naruto along until he stopped before her desk. His eyes widened as his eyes roamed over the paper.

She was writing music.

Not lyrics, but music with stanzas and crescendos and notes. The top of the page was titled "Anthem of Roses for Double Violin by Senju Sakamei, Pg. 7", and the girl's hand moved over the page as if it were its own being, her eyes following every movement until the pencil broke.

The girl gasped as if she had come out of a trance, her eyes shooting to the boys in front of her desk before moving back to the music. She flipped through the pages before finding the first, setting them _very _neatly in the pocket of a large binder.

When she put the binder away, she did not acknowledge them, and Sasuke's grip tightened on Naruto's arm.

"Sakamei, what the hell is going on? When we parted the night before everything was perfectly fine, but now you're—"

"I told you, I have no reason to answer your calls or speak to you at all. It's a complete waste of time and I have no interest in doing so at all."

Sasuke stared at the girl, hoping he would find the slightest amount of any unserious emotions in her face, but he found nothing.

"Is it because of what I said, or what my dad said? If you weren't ready for me to admit that to you then I would take it if I could back but it would still be true."

Naruto was completely confused about what Sasuke was going on about, but he did not question him. He knew that the boy needed to speak to Sakamei right now, not explain things to him.

"And if it was my dad said I told you before that you're much more important to me than Sakura or any other girl I've been with. I told you how I felt Sakamei, and that should prove to you that I meant it."

Sasuke had to try harder than ever to hide his shock when the girl shook her head as if she pitied him.

"Listen, Uchiha."

She spat out his name as if it left a horrible taste in her mouth. Naruto's eyes widened on the girl. She was completely different from the Sakamei he knew.

"I do not care for you whatsoever. The relationship you and the Sakamei you know is nonexistent, as that Sakamei was emotionally unstable. I am not bipolar, nor do I have multiple personality disorder. This is how I was up until I was nine years old, and this is truly how I have been since birth. I'm sorry to upset you, but I can do nothing to fix what has happened. Your relationship with Sakamei Senju is over, and it won't be brought back unless I decide to do something foolish again. I apologize."

Naruto looked to Sasuke, who's head was lowered. His eyes were shadowed by his hair and his fists were clenched by his sides. Naruto gently placed his hand on his shoulder when the second bell rang, alerting them of their starting class.

"Sasuke, I'm sorry."

"Naruto, Sasuke, please take your seats…" They looked to Aoba-_sensei,_ the man looking slightly nervous as they did. "You shouldn't bother Sakamei_-chan_ right now."

Sasuke began to think that the man knew something, but he only took his seat beside the girl, his eyes on her the whole time as he withdrew from the relationship he once had with her.

* * *

><p>Every single teacher acted differently towards Sakamei. Every single one of them. Even Genma.<p>

Sasuke noticed this right away, and as he stormed to Kakashi's classroom he found that he wasn't alone.

Naruto, Temari, Hinata, TenTen, Haku, and Genma were with him. Seeing Sakura and Ino there surprised him even more as he moved into the room.

Sasuke, you've come to question me about Sakamei also, have you?" Zero appeared from the crowd, looking slightly stressed. Kakashi and Genma shared a look as the boy stood before them, a determined look in his eyes as he waited for their answer to his unasked question.

"I guess I can tell you all since you're close to her for the most part. I'll just tell you what her I sent in the email." Zero sighed before continuing.

"Sakamei's eyes are a result from a heart disease that her doctors aren't sure about. She got it from her mother, and she died from this too. The way Sakamei is now is how she acted when she was a child. She was quiet, stoic, and she was withdrawn from everyone around her, even more when her mother died. She spent most of her time alone with music and instruments and things like that. She had been born blind, and her personality had come with her gaining vision, as she had been…understanding and happy before her vision developed. When her mother died she began seeing a therapist, and she told the woman that even though she wanted to show emotions, her body wouldn't allow and she always ended up feeling frustrated until she would "fall asleep" because she was not able to release them. Her doctor feared that her bottled up emotions would end up affecting her in other ways, and when she was nine they really did. She began showing emotions at strange times. When she was supposed to be sad over certain things she was always happy and vice versa. They watched her for a while and saw that her emotions were evening out. She learned how to channel her emotions correctly and they thought that she was getting better. But later on she began having heart attacks because she couldn't control the emotions correctly. Her doctor then says it was sort of like autism, but instead of not being able to emit her emotions, she couldn't stop herself from showing ones she didn't need at the time. After she went to the hospital several times for this, her doctors managed to find medication that made her how she was when she couldn't show her emotions. They said the medication would help her even things out, but there were no changes. She was still emotionally deficient, and this went on from the age of ten to fourteen. But then she started showing emotions again. I thought that she was doing better. There had been two or three heart problems since then, but her doctors classified it as "normal for her condition". They hadn't been life threatening, so I believed that things were going to be better for her. But then I realized that I hadn't had to refill her prescriptions in a while. I had thought that Jux, my oldest son, had done it because he did so when I went away for work. When I questioned him he told me that he had thought that I had been doing so. When I found her bottle of medicine I saw that it hadn't been replaced in a year. So I found out that Sakamei had stopped taking her medicine, and that this as why she had been showing emotion the way she did. It wasn't safe, especially when her heart problems had come back and were affecting her already poor vision."

The man looked saddened as he sighed again, running his fingers through her hair. (Can you say longness?)

"Her condition has been evident throughout her whole life."

Sasuke couldn't hold back the words that stirred in his chest.

"So the Sakamei I knew, she wasn't _real_?" Zero looked up at him, a frown marring his face.

"Sakamei is only one person. I'm sure that if she hadn't been born with her mother's condition that she would've been how she was when you met her. I know she would have. It's just that things are difficult."

Sasuke wanted to believe what the man was saying with everything he had, but after hearing what the "real" Sakamei had to say for herself, it made her own father's words harder to believe.

* * *

><p>Sakamei sniffed again, swiping at her eyes again as her eyes continued to water. Was it her allergies?<p>

It couldn't have been. It was November now.

She wished she could stop her eyes from watering, but it continued fill force and it took Sakamei several minutes to realized that she was crying.

Her hands covered her face and she sobbed into her hands, trying to protect the music she had written from her tears. Her sobs became slightly audible, and she felt an aching in her chest as she let her tears flow.

Why was she crying now?

Maybe it was her emotions acting up again. She had cried for unknown reasons before when she hadn't been prescribed her medicine.

"Crap,"

The girl rushed to her night stand beside her bed, sitting on her bed as she wiped her eyes again before opening the bottle.

Her hands were shaking as she tried to pour the three pills into her hand. She had managed three when she stopped, her thoughts rushing through her mind before she could process them.

_Sasuke._

She had told Sasuke that she didn't care about hi,

She had told him that their relationship was _over._

She dropped the bottle from her hands, scattering the pills on the floor as she slid from the bed, sobbing harder as her chest began to ache.

She found it harder to breathe as she sat there, and the need to see Sasuke overwhelmed ever thought.

"_Sasuke_,"

Zero silently stepped into the room, moving towards the girl and kneeling beside her as he gently comforted her. The only person running through her mind right now was the one boy that she really cared about.

The boy that had told her that he loved her.

"I miss Sasuke so much."

Her words were barely understandable as her tears shook her entire being. Zero could only listen as he waited for her to calm. He couldn't force her to take the pills right now.

She said so many things then.

She told him that she was tired of everything and that she didn't want to be confused anymore.

She told him that she didn't mean to tell Sasuke that she didn't care.

She told him that she hated making them worry.

She told him that she loved Sasuke.

And she told him that she couldn't breathe.

* * *

><p>Please Review!<p>

Next chapter is bein constructed now! You'll love it!

I hope...


	24. When You Tell Someone You Love Them

I was listening to Triangle Beat from the Uta no Prince-sama debut album nearly the whole time I was writing this (Yes, I listen to Japanese songs, Korean too!). It's a very upbeat song, so sorry if the beginning of the chapter isn't emotional enough for you.

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><p>When You Tell Someone You Love Them<p>

Sasuke moved into the sterile room silently and closed the door behind him, his eyes falling on the girl in the hospital bed that had suffered from a panic attack nearly eight hours ago. And also, it had partially been brought on by him. This seemed all so familiar, didn't it?

This time she smiled at him, her pale face seeming to light up as he looked down at her. He stayed near her bed, his hands deep in his pockets as his eyes met hers.

"You put your life in danger."

Sakamei's eyes widened when he spoke, having been expecting something completely opposite of a scolding.

"All this time, you've been risking your life. Do you have any idea how stupid that was?"

The girl looked away as his tone became stronger. Though it remained quiet it held a force that made guilt fill her entire being.

"Did you think about what would have happened if things hadn't gone your way? If you would've had another heart attack before you even had the chance to do what you planned?"

"I wouldn't have been able to be with you!"

"We wouldn't have ever met!"

His words silenced her as her vision became blurry. She hadn't wanted to be yelled at for doing something stupid. She wanted Sasuke to comfort her and tell her that he loved her again. She didn't want him to be angry with her, even though she knew she deserved it.

"If you hadn't gotten your way you would've been locked up in your house for the rest of your life because your family couldn't trust you enough to be alone! You would have never met me or Naruto or Temari—! I wouldn't be in love with you as much as I am right now!"

She silenced as the boy's anger surfaced. He stood with his hands clenched tightly at his side, his dark eyes appearing red as he looked down at her.

"How would we have ever been together if you would've ended up here earlier! You wouldn't have risked your life for so long because you wouldn't even know who the hell I was! I wouldn't even give a damn about who _you _were because we _never would have met at all_!"

She gripped the sheets around her in her fists as she tried to fight tears. When she opened her mouth to speak her throat went dry and she was forced to let Sasuke continue. He had calmed somewhat, but his anger still underlined his words.

"I love you, Sakamei. I love you so much that I can't imagine having never known you, but when I think about what you did I can't help but _hate_ you for it…because if you would've died…I never would have been able to feel how I do about you now. You-you could've killed yourself like this."

Sakamei couldn't stop her tears from fallingwhen her worst fear had come true.

_Sasuke hated her._

Sasuke stopped when he heard the girl crying, and he didn't know if he should comfort her or let her feel what he had when she had told him she didn't care about him.

But that hadn't been his Sakamei.

He moved closer and embraced the girl, sitting at her side as he held her in his arms. She seemed so fragile now, and he hated seeing her in the hospital like this.

_I'm so sorry, Sasuke._

She had repeated this so many times that night that he felt his anger towards her dwindle away until it was no more. He didn't like how it felt to be angry at her. He cared for her too much to do that.

He stayed with her for hours, holding her in his arms as they lay on the hospital bed. They stayed in a comforting silence, Sakamei's face buried in the crook of his neck as she had fallen asleep some time ago.

Sasuke's thoughts consumed him as he stared up at the ceiling.

_What will I do when Sakamei is _herself_ again?_

"I want her prescription changed! There has to be something you can give her that calms her down instead of making her a completely different person."

Zero was tired of arguing with the woman. Dr. Casaba was intent on keeping Sakamei on the medication she prescribed.

"I won't change it. Keeping her alive is important right now. This is the safest way to keep her from dying so young."

"Keeping her happy is important too. I want my daughter to be able to feel things towards people she cares about."

The doctor placed her hands on her desk, looking away from Sakamei's medical file.

"Tell me, Zero, is Sakamei's happiness more important to you than keeping her alive? I've met so many parents that became depressed because their own child died before them, and I'm sure that you would be one of them if we don't keep her on her medication."

Zero's fists clenched as he tried to keep himself calm.

"I don't want Sakamei to die young. I know that she deserves to live a full life, but it wouldn't matter at all if she isn't happy with it! I'm willing to let my child be happy over making her live a life she doesn't want. If you aren't willing to give her a different medication, I'm going to another doctor."

The doctor stood and sighed heavily as she looked at the man.

"Zero, I've been Sakamei's doctor since she was nine. You told me before that I was the only person that she actually spoke to. I'm sure she's had enough of seeing new doctors. We should just see how this medicine works out—"

"Actually, I've already found her doctor. He's tested several medications on patients with different diseases, and five of them were affective. I'll have you send Sakamei's files to her new doctor when I find them. I'll make sure _everything _you have under file is sent to them. You won't cross me, Fujita."

The man then left, the woman feeling wounded that he was no longer letting her care for his child. She had cared for Sakamei as if she were her own child. She had loved all of his children as much as she loved him, but her love had been unrequited. Zero had never loved her. Not when they were high school, not when they had kept in touch when he had become famous and she had gone to medical school, and not when he had married Lanamei and didn't speak to her for years.

Nothing could explain the pain she had felt when the woman came to her and begged her to help her child. She had never been able to stop the horrible thoughts that always circled her mind.

_Sakamei wouldn't be in this predicament if she had been my child._

She blamed the woman for causing the girl so much pain throughout her entire life, and she told herself that she would always take are of Sakamei and every one of Zero's kids because they could have been hers. She could have been there mother.

When Zero had come to her saddened and tearful because no one else could do a single thin for his youngest daughter. He had stayed with her that one night, and that had led to many more nights she had dreamt of her entire life.

But when his wife died he had stopped seeing her.

He dedicated himself to his family, and her dreams of marrying the man and becoming the mother of his children had been lost to her. She had become depressed and unhappy until Sakamei came back to the hospital from another heart attack when she was ten. Since then Zero had done anything she told him to, so she prescribed Sakamei medicine that would only get rid of her emotional fragility temporarily.

That would keep the man coming back to her. She would see him and Sakamei and all of his children more and more.

Even if it meant risking Sakamei's health.

The girl would need her more, and that meant Zero would need her too.

Sakamei allowed Sasuke to pull away from her, leaving her hospital bed feeling cold and lonely. He pressed his lips to hers once more, holding her hands in his as he looked down at her.

Their lips parted once more and he moved away from her, lifting his discarded bag from the floor near the chair.

He had to go home now. He would be forced to sit through another dinner with one of his father's coworkers.

And he had a daughter.

Sasuke prayed the girl would be fawning over Itachi, as his thoughts would be completely on Sakamei.

"I'll call you when you can go home, if you haven't taken your medicine yet." Sakamei frowned at this, having forgotten about the pills she would have to begin taking again.

"Don't do anything like this again, Sakamei. I would rather be forced to have you not care about me than let you hurt yourself like that."

Sakamei nodded, pressing his hand to her lips before he gently pulled away, biting his lip as he hesitated leaving her alone.

Sakamei watched him disappear from her sight and she only stared into the blinding white when she heard the door open and Sasuke's footsteps stop abruptly.

"Sasuke, you're still here. Good." Sakamei had memorized her father's voice when she had been blind, and as he moved into the room, moving Sasuke with him as they appeared into her view, she was upset to see how the man looked.

He had dark circles under his eyes, contrasting with his pale skin, and his hair was disheveled. His button down shirt was slightly ruffled and he looked completely drained. This was all her fault.

Sasuke had noticed too, and he also knew that the girl felt guilty about it too. He looked to her, catching her frown as her father smiled at her.

"Sakamei," her father said with a delighted smile. She had still been asleep when he had been in the room with her, and he had been waiting to speak to her the whole time.

Sasuke couldn't help but frown when the man called the girl by her name. Didn't she say that he could be the only one to call her that?

The girl noticed the boy's frown and blushed, knowing exactly what had upset him. She noticed the fierce change in his eyes.

From relief to total revenge.

He would get her back for telling such a lie, even though it was a mistake.

"I made a decision today, Sakamei. I found you a new doctor. He's a good with finding cures for new medical cases, and he's eager to help you. He's willing to get started right away."

Sakamei had never liked the thought of a new teacher, but she had never seen her father so eager to go to another.

"Dr. Casaba's treatments were never effective enough for you, and I really think that this man could help you."

Sakamei looked to Sasuke, who's attention was fully on the man as he continued.

"He's created five out of seven treatments for different cases, and I really think he can help you. But…we don't have to go if you want to stay with Dr. Casaba."

"I don't like Dr. Casaba."

The man was surprised, but he did not question her as Sasuke looked back at him.

"So this doctor is more effective?"

He had heard from Minato that the boy was very straightforward. It was nice to see that statement become a fact.

"There is a chance that it won't work, but he's never had a patient get worse because of his trials. I wouldn't put Sakamei's life in danger if I knew she would be at a risk."

The Uchiha boy watched him for a second before looking away, his eyes closing as he spoke.

"If you don't mind, I wanted to ask you if I would be able to meet the man, since Sakamei will be my responsibility one day."

Sakamei blushed completely as her father's eyes widened, the man looking between the two of them as he tried to see if he was joking.

"I-I…I don't know. We will be in his office for a while. He has a lot to go over. Are you willing to stay for a long while?"

Sasuke looked at Sakamei as she lay silently on her bed.

"Of course I can. Sakamei is my top priority right now."

Zero was unsure about the boy being so serious about his daughter right now. They were still so young, and he wasn't one to want his children to move further from him so quickly.

"if I think it's best for Sakamei to get so involved in this relationship right now, but I will consider letting you know."

Sasuke noticed how the man's voice deepened, giving him a silent warning that the kind man would never speak.

_If you hurt my daughter in any way I will pay you back twice as hard._

Sakamei felt her chest tighten at Sasuke's willingness to express his feelings for her to her own father. She would have never thought that she could care for Sasuke anymore than she did now.

* * *

><p>Sakamei was relieved to be out of her house again, as she had been forced to stay in bed for three days, only to learn of her friend's antics over the phone.<p>

Now that it was Monday she was free to go back to school, though she would be visiting her new doctor after school Monday through Wednesday and on Saturday for who knew how long. She wasn't looking forward to having needles stuck in her again.

She stepped into the school and was whisked away immediately without a chance to protest as Haku led her down the hall and into an empty courtyard.

She frowned when she saw the boy's expression and the tear streaks on his pretty face. He looked as if he were ready to start crying again, and Sakamei quickly moved to comfort the boy.

"What's wrong, Haku?" She ran her fingers through his disheveled hair as he fought the urge to break down.

"I-I…I ruined everything."

The boy began crying as soon as he spoke, moving closer to the girl for comfort.

"What happened, Haku? Is it your family? Did they find out that you were still with Zabuza—?"

"No, it's Zabuza!"

Sakamei frowned once more as she continued to run her fingers through his hair, the gesture more comforting than she knew.

"What happened? Did you fight?"

Haku lifted his head from her shoulder, rubbing his eye with the back of his hand as he tried to speak.

"I-I told him that I-I loved him, and-and I asked him how he felt about me and—I was just tired of caring about him when he won't even admit his feelings for me. I-I've asked him so many times about how he felt but he always got mad at me and left." The boy's breath caught in his throat before he could continue, and he raised both hands to wipe his eyes. She saw the bandage over his hand and frowned, alarm filling her entire being.

"What happened to your hand, Haku?"

He immediately dropped his hand.

"He-he didn't do it. When he left I dropped a glass and I cut myself trying to pick it up because I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing. He wouldn't do that to me."

Haku laughed at his ow stupidity, tears still running down his cheeks as Sakamei pulled his hair back for him when they sat on one of the benches nearby.

"When did this happen?" Haku shrugged, closing his eyes as he rested against her.

"I don't know. Maybe three days ago? I haven't been paying attention and I can't even focus on anything at all. I-I think that I might actually have an emotional breakdown, Sakamei. I think I might—"

Sakamei held him close, still stroking his hair as his breathing calmed. The first bell rang, but she still held him, knowing that Genma wouldn't mind if they were late to his class. Haku needed her right now, and she wouldn't desert him now.

"Don't worry, Haku. I'm here with you."

Haku had never thought that he would be able to trust someone with the secret battles he endured with Zabuza when they were behind closed doors. He was willing to call Sakamei one of his best friends, if not the emotionally closest to him. It seemed like she understood him no matter what, and that was what he needed right now.

* * *

><p>Sasuke groaned into Sakamei's pillow as the girl moved around her room, gathering various articles of clothing and tossing them to the bed two weeks later.<p>

"Why are you staying at Haku's place again? Are you trying to avoid coming over my place like you always do after we leave the Hyuga's?"

Sasuke turned onto his back, sitting up against the pillows and propping up a knee as he took up the light pink bra she had tossed into her bag.

"It has nothing to do with you. Haku needs me right now, so I'm staying with him fdor the weekend. You can last two days without me, right?"

She took the bra from his hands, sitting on the bed with one leg underneath her as she went to fold her things.

"Actually, no I can't. I'm a very protective person, Saka _no kimi,_ which supports the way I call you at two in the morning if I don't spend enough time with you during the day…or the night in the very near future."

Sakamei glared at the black-haired boy as he smirked at her, his eyes ablaze with things she didn't want to think about.

"Well you'll just have to deal with it, Sasuke-_kun_. My friend needs me now. More than you do for that matter. Temari, TenTen, and I promised him that he'll have my undivided attention the whole time we're there."

Sasuke lay back on the bed once more, lifting the stuffed Dalmatian she had always had sitting perfectly before her pillows, its head tilted to the side in the sitting pose she always set it in. The red heart over its left eye matched the heart it held in its mouth, and Sasuke had no idea why every female he knew owned a stuffed animal.

Even his mom.

Sasuke held the dog to his chest, sighing loudly.

"What do I have to do to get your undivided attention? Break up with my boyfriend?" Sakamei snickered as she looked back at him, the boy smirking as he awaited her response.

"I'm pretty sure that I would comfort your boyfriend, not you. I'm sure you would be the reason he would be crying, not the other way around."

Sasuke sat up then and clamped his arms around the girl, dragging her back against him and holding her even tighter.

"I would never make _you _cry, Sakamei."

The light tone in his voice made her eyes widen and a blush to find her cheeks before the boy attacked her lips with his own. She didn't struggle in his grip at all as her eyes closed and she reveled in the warmth his touch left in her stomach.

He parted her lips with his tongue, his arms loosening as he allowed her to turn and lay against him, their lips moving slowly against each other's.

Sakamei was pleased that Sasuke's hands hadn't left her back to squeeze her butt like they usually did, but she didn't want to say anything to tempt the boy. She wrapped her arms around his neck and deepened their kiss so that Sasuke held her as tight as possible until she moved his arms away from her, holding them down at his sides as the boy groaned.

"Now you'll see how frustrating this can be." She kissed him again, Sasuke rising on his elbows to try to deepen their kiss until the girl moved back slightly, denying him his request to do so.

"Sakamei, are you leaving yet?" Sakamei startled as she pulled away from the boy, Sasuke staying in place as she rolled off the bed and landed on the floor with a throaty groan.

Krix stepped into the room quietly, his eyebrow rising as he looked at the boy who lay on the bed. Sasuke only lifted a hand to throw the man a silent "peace" and lay back against the pillows as Sakamei rose from the floor, rubbing her head.

"What happened?" Sakamei glared at Sasuke when he snickered, looking back to her brother.

"I fell off of the bed," Sakamei mumbled as she zipped up her bag. Mika, being his calm, turned quietly when his youngest brother called him from downstairs.

"Krix, I told you before. Father said you can't have any more Pocky." He looked back to them. "You've been up here a while. I'm sure father would find out sooner or later that Sasuke didn't come to help you pack."

Sakamei blushed as Sasuke smiled, if you could call it a smile, up at the girl.

He left the door open pointedly and left, leaving the couple in the room as Sasuke rose from the bed.

"Are you sure you wouldn't rather come to my place? We could finish what we started…if you don't fall of the bed again."

Sakamei stuck her tongue at him before she moved to grab her bag, the boy moving to grab it first. He placed a kiss upon her pouty lips before turning and moving to the door, Sakamei picking up her sandals and following the boy down the stairs.

Krix nearly bumped into the boy when he had been dashing down the hall. He smiled at them, bouncing slightly as he laughed from being hyper on sugar.

"_Ne,_ Sasuke, do you have anything sweet on you? I'm not as hyper as I should be right now." Sakamei laughed nervously at her older brother as Sasuke shook his head, the boy groaning as his shoulders drooped and he frowned.

"Everyone hides their sweets from me. I would have expected more of you, Sasuke." The black-haired boy's eyebrow rose as he watched the hyper boy perk up again.

"I don't like sweets."

Krix froze, his eyes widening as he took a step back from the boy.

"YOU'RE NOT WELCOME HERE! LEAVE THIS HOUSE AND NEVER RETURN!"

Sasuke watched in amusement as the boy took off in the opposite direction, slamming into Mika along the way. Said boy growled as the younger boy looked up at him.

"Hey, Mika, you haven't seen your katana yet, have you?"

Mika's eyes widened. "What the hell did you do?"

Krix only smiled before he side-stepped the boy, running away once more to relieve himself of his restless energy and Mika quickly went up the stairs, glaring at Sasuke when he saw him with his baby sister.

"We should leave now before Mika attacks Krix." Sakamei smiled nervously at her boyfriend, the boy continuing towards the genkan and stepping into his shoes as Sakamei dropped her sandals and strapped them on.

"What was that about?" She knew she was talking about Krix's response to his disliking of sweets. She stood and stepped out the door she opened for her just as Mika screamed a very bloody threat at Krix from up the stairs. Sasuke closed the door, seeming to be unfazed by her strange family.

"_Everyone_ in my family loves sweets: my brothers, my sister, my father, my uncles, and my grandparents. You should expect to be criticized because of this when you meet the rest of my family."

She didn't realize what she said until Sasuke smiled darkly at her.

"I'm going to meet them?" She blushed and tried to keep a straight face, turning and moving down the porch steps.

"You say things like that all the time, so why can't I? I'm sure you would do everything you could to stick around anyways."

Sasuke gently bumped into the girl as he passed her to get to the backseat of his car, putting her bag inside before moving to open the passenger door for her. She ignored him when he didn't close the car door and stared at her for ten seconds before she looked to him, a glare in her eyes.

"You want me to meet the rest of your family."

She groaned and pushed Sasuke in the chest, the boy barely moving an inch.

"Just take me to Haku's house already or I won't let you meet them at all." Sasuke smirked moving to close the door.

"I would meet them without your say if I wanted to, but I would rather let you do the honors. It would show them that you're deeply in love with me."

She couldn't speak before he closed the door completely and moved to get into the car himself, the girl silent as he started the car and sped off, enjoying thoughts of what would happen when the girl admitted her love for him. He would do so much to her then So much that she wouldn't be able to leave his sight for days.

Sakamei noticed the dark smile on his face as he sped down the road and edged as close as she could to the car door as she could. Who knew what the boy was thinking right now?

Sakamei was relieved to get away from the boy when they arrived at Haku's house, the boy sitting outside on the porch swing with his head on his knees, which were hugged to his chest.

"Oh, Haku—"

Sakamei was pulled back to her seat, making her accidently close the car door once more.

"No goodnight?" Sakamei groaned as she glanced at Haku, the boy having not moved an inch as the swing slowly moved back and forth.

"Sasuke, Haku needs me now. Can't we talk Monday morning?" Sasuke placed his hands on the girl's neck and pulled her forward, pressing his lips to hers before parting her lips with his tongue and deepening their tongue. Sakamei melted into the heart-warming kiss and nearly forgot where she was and what she was supposed to be doing as Sasuke's tongue did things she didn't know a tongue could do.

She felt a light go off in her head and pulled away from the boy, catching her breath as she moved out of the car as fast as she could. Sasuke looked displeased, but Sakamei felt guilty for spending so much time with her boyfriend when Haku was heartbroken because of his own.

"I love you, Sakamei."

Sakamei looked up at the boy as she grabbed her bag, holding his gaze for a while.

"G-goodnight, Sasuke-_kun._" She closed the door before the boy could say anything more, missing the way he dropped his head and sighed, and the unnatural emotion that flashed in his eyes.

He pulled his car out of the driveway just as Sakamei wrapped her arms around the boy on the swing, who moved to embrace her immediately.

At least he was gay.

Sakamei sat out on the swing allowing Haku to hold onto her for comfort for five minutes before questioning him.

"Where's Temari and TenTen? I thought that they would be here by now." Haku shook his head, still holding onto her as he spoke.

"TenTen's mom caught them before they left and made them help her redecorate the living room. They won't be here until eight."

Sakamei looked at her phone, seeing that it was only four now. She sighed, running her fingers through his loose air as he squeezed her tighter.

"How long have you been out here?" Haku sniffed a little, nuzzling his face into her neck when her fingers stopped moving lightly against his scalp.

"Since nine maybe?"

Her eyes widened as she shifted away slightly and looked down at the boy, or attempted to when he only followed her to the side.

"Haku, have you eaten anything today?" The boy lifted his head, looking at her with sad eyes.

"I think so…yes. My mother brought me food earlier." Sakamei nodded, taking his hand in hers as she rose and picked up her bag.

"Let's go inside now. It's getting cold out here." Haku allowed her to lead him to the door and stepped inside before her, showing her where to leave her shoes.

A woman stepped from around the corner, looking at them before smiling and coming near. She was Sakamei's height, and her skin was the same tone as Haku's. Her hair was also the same black, but it was shorter. Her black eyes found Sakamei as she spoke.

"You must be Haku's friend, Sakamei. I've heard a lot about you. Your look gives it away, I'm afraid." Sakamei returned the woman's smile, bowing slightly as she greeted her.

"_Konnichiwa_, Mrs. Matarashi." (Haku doesn't have a last name, right?) The woman clamped her hands together and smiled at the girl.

"Please, call me Koto-_chan_. Can I get the two of you anything? I know! I'll make tea!" The woman rushed off before Sakamei could tell her she didn't like tea. She giggled nervously as Haku smiled at her, the frown still in his eyes.

"My mother is high strung. At least I'm not like that, right?" Sakamei didn't know if she was sure about that after all of the times they had to chase him down just to run a comb through his hair. He decided not to wait for her answer as he headed down the hall, Sakamei following close behind so that she wouldn't get lost. The house was nice, having a lot of wooden furniture that Sakamei really liked. The dark color of the cherry wood really attracted her attention the most.

She followed Haku up the stairs and into his room, which was full of light and dark blues. Haku moved to his bed as Sakamei walked around, taking quite a while to see everything in the room.

Curse her blindness.

When she finished trying to commit the room to memory since she would be there for the weekend, she moved to Haku as he reached into the mini fridge near his bed and pulled out a bottle of sprite.

"My mom likes to serve iced tea. Just mix sprite with it when she isn't looking and it won't taste like tea at all. But she'll think you liked it and will bring more." Sakamei smiled at the boy, but he wasn't his self. He wasn't whining about things TenTen or Temari did to him or asking about the time she spent with Sasuke with over-excitement. He wasn't himself.

"Haku, let's talk about it now." The boy looked to her, licking his lips nervously. He hadn't talked about it for a while, and she knew that he was trying not to think about it.

"There's nothing to talk about."

Sakamei frowned as the boy looked away, his eyes becoming vacant as she moved to sit across from him.

"Haku, it's not good for you to ignore it. You'll just become more and more depressed. I don't want that to happen to you."

Haku's arms dropped from over his chest, the boy's eyes widening, as he had never thought that this could happen.

"I-I don't want to be depressed, Sakamei. It just…hurts so much."

Haku began to sob and Sakamei moved to comfort him again, a frown on her face as he continued.

"I just wanted to know if he felt the same way I do about him. I've never asked for anything from him, at least not seriously. I did anything that would make him happy, even if he didn't show it. I gave him everything. I gave him my virginity."

His last five words were whispered and pain filled as he pulled his knees to his chest and locked his arms around him.

"Have you talked to him at all since what happened?" She saw Haku's eyes close as he spoke, his voice shaking.

"I tried before, but he just ignores me, and now he won't even come near me. If we're in the same room he leaves as soon as I step in."

Sakamei would have never expected this from Zabuza. He had seemed so different when he and Haku had been together.

"When you admit to someone that you love them, and you really mean it too, it hurts when they don't feel the same way. Even if they don't say it back, you know that they're unsure about your feelings, and you can't help but feel hurt because they still doubt the relationship that you put so much into because you love them so much. It wasn't that he just left when I said it. It was that he didn't even respond. Most times he would say something to curve the conversation as if he could get away with it. But it only makes things worse."

Haku sounded annoyed as he spoke, and Sakamei felt her breath catch as his words ran through her mind.

Was this how she made Sasuke feel?

"I guess it does feel better to talk about it." As he said this Sakamei offered him a smile, hoping it was believable as his mother entered the room.

She set a tray of two tall glasses of iced tea on the table with a plate of lemons and another with a plate of brown triangles about the size of Sakamei's hand.

"I've tried making cinnamon Pocky, but I could never roll them up right. Hopefully they taste as good as they're supposed to." She smiled at them, Haku remaining silent as he stared down at the tray she had set on the bed.

"_Arigato, _Koto-_chan_." The woman smiled once more when Sakamei thanked her, noticing her son's red face but saying nothing as she knew the girl was there to make him feel better. He had been moping around for long enough.

She left the room and Sakamei sighed, watching Haku pour the sprite into the, thankfully, half full glass. He then picked up a spoon that had been left by a bowl of sugar, mixing the drink before handing it to her.

Sakamei looked at the glass warily and glanced at the boy that was mixing the soda into his own drink. She took a deep breath before sipping the drink, expecting to taste the horrible taste she dreaded so much but found that this taste was completely different. It tasted more like punch and less like tea. She was relieved as she took another sip. Haku noticed and smiled at her, setting his own drink down.

"Told you so. Now you know my secret, though I actually like tea."

She enjoyed the next few hours with Haku as he had calmed down after telling her how he felt. The guilt still clung to her insides about leaving Sasuke without a response to his confession, and she wanted so badly to do _something_.

But she didn't know if she was ready to admit _that_ just yet.

* * *

><p>Sorry if you wanted Haku and Zabuza tostay together. Maybe I'll put them back together, or maybe someone NEW will come into his life.<p>

You'll never know...BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

Bye!


	25. Cookies For My Birthday

IT'S PEIDAY BITCHES!

jk...I'm freakin broke, guys.

Sorry this chapter took so long. It's just that I've been focusing on finals for this last week of school and it's blah.

OMG you guys, you know the EOC STAAR that replaced the TAKS? I go to a high schoool where we take high school and college credits and we got over 90% on every friggin' subject! I'm so happy. I just hope I didn't fail...then I would be sad D:!

My little sister and I had the worst run in with a freaking cockroach.

And not just any cockroach.

A HUGE FREAKING FLYING COCKROACH!

I am VERY afraid of cockroaches, people, and I swear that this was the first thing that's ever made me scream like an actual girl after I don't know how many years. I don't even scream on rollercoasters, but when that thing jumped off the fire place and freaking flew, I screamed my head off.

I _**hate**_cockroaches.

Oh, and before I forget. I realized that I put chapter 19 for chapter 18 and I was so freaking upset. Basically they had been at school and Sakamei told Sasuke that she had never had a date before so he says that he will take her. She says something and he makes it completely perverted. Sakamei starts to have doubts when she finishes preparing for the date and she is home alone. Sasuke tries calling her but she refuses to answer so a few minutes later she reads his texts. After a few minutes of being perverted and ignored he threatened to climb through the window.

When Sakamei goes over to the window Sasuke is right in front of her and scares the crap out of her. She ends up being forced to go with him and thats where it went to chapter 19.

There was also a part with Shimon, but I decided that I want him to come in later. He was supposed to play an important roll, but not until second semester. You will find out soon.

More Sasuke OOCness.

* * *

><p>Cookies For My Birthday (Nothing perverted as far as I can tell)<p>

Sakamei sighed as she brushed Haku's hair a week later, the boy having gotten over his breakup by now. He had agreed to let the girl help him find a new boyfriend.

She hadn't found many guys that didn't talk about boobs or what female underwear they preferred on their girlfriends, so looking around the school hadn't been very helpful. It wouldn't be nice to walk up to a guy and ask him if he was gay, or if he wanted to have a "once in a lifetime relationship with another guy!".

Haku wasn't actually looking forward to a relationship, but when he saw another guy hanging around Zabuza that was his size and super_ super_ happy, he knew he had been replaced. He wanted to show the boy that he wasn't hung up over the fact that he no longer cared for him. He was slightly back to himself, but there was still a little grumpiness here and there.

"I still think that you should ask Sai if he's gay." Temari earned another smack on the thigh from Sakamei as she lay on the bed. She had said this several times since they had come over to her house.

"And I told you that Sai isn't gay. He's just very strange and enjoys talking about Naruto's male parts. Plus, he's dating Ino."

TenTen groaned on the floor as she rolled away from the magazine she had been reading.

"What guy wouldn't wish they were gay if they were dating Ino?"

"Or Sakura?"

Sakamei frowned at this, pulling the silent Haku's hair into a low ponytail as he lay back against her.

"Sasuke dated Sakura."

Temari sat up, looking at the girl seriously with a hint of playfulness.

"You better watch him, girl." Sakamei tossed her pillow at the girl, Temari and TenTen only laughing as Sakamei braided Haku's loose hair.

"Sasuke isn't gay. He's too perverted to be gay." Temari looked at her warily.

Of course he is. That's why you have all those heart shaped hickeys all over your shoulders and chest." Sakamei's eyes widened as she remembered the markings he had left on her only the night before. She was glad she hadn't gone downstairs in her top with spaghetti strap sleeves. She would have been in so much trouble.

"He has to be a pro to be able to do that. I mean, he had to have done this for a while to get them this perfect. Maybe eight months."

Sakamei frowned. "But we've only been together about five months, and he said he perfected it for me." TenTen smirked.

"There's some things you can't believe, retard. He had to be lying about something. Maybe he just wants to impress you because he _loves yooooou_."

Sakamei blushed as she unbraided and braided Haku's hair once more. She wouldn't linger on the hickey thing, but she wished she would have never asked them for advice about what to do when Sasuke told her he loved her.

"Oh gosh, that's hilarious. I can just see your face when he says it. I bet you go redder than Gaara's hair and get all starry-eyed and say _'Oh, I love you too Sasuke-kun! Let's get married and have beautiful babies with my eyes and your demonic personality.'_ And then he would be all like…_'I'm emo.'_"

TenTen laughed at Temari's high voice for Sakamei and deep voice for Sasuke as Sakamei tossed as many pillows as she could at the girl, Temari holding up the first to block them as Sakamei tried her hardest not to cuss at her.

"I never even told him that I love him back. I wasn't ready to say it." Temari and TenTen pretended to pout.

"Oh, poor girl. You're not ready to tell him you love him yet. I bet he's all worked up about it. Come on, Sakamei, this is Sasuke we're talking about. It won't affect him as much as you think. He's an emotionless bastard."

Sakamei frowned for the third time in the last few minutes. They didn't know Sasuke like she did. They hadn't seen the sweet, clingy boy she did when they were alone. They didn't know the emotions she saw in full display when they were together. Sasuke was different when he was with people he cared about.

When he was with people he loved.

She hadn't noticed that the topic had changed completely until Temari laughed and TenTen put a smug look on her face.

"I don't like Neji! I told you several times before and I don't know any other way to convince you of that!"

Temari only shook her head, looking to Haku in Sakamei's arms before tossing the pillow at him full force. She didn't notice that he had been asleep the whole time until his arms didn't raise to protect his face from the pillow. It hit him square, seeming to stay in place for a second before falling into his lap.

"What the hell?" He sat up and rubbed his eyes with his fist. Temari playfully growled at the boy.

"Don't you dare sleep on us, bitch! His is supposed to be a party! Turn up the music and let's…pipe it down a little bit."

Temari sat back on the bed with a nervous smile when Jux stepped into the room. It was strange, but her friends were afraid of her oldest brother. She would've thought that they would have feared Mika, but they had no problem with him. He actually seemed to like them.

"Sakamei and Company, we'll be leaving soon, and we wanted to know if you would like us to order pizza for you."

They had never had anyone call them Sakamei and Company, but they didn't dislike it.

"Why is it 'Sakamei and Company'?" TenTen went silent when Jux looked to her, though Sakamei was the only one that knew it was a friendly look.

Even if he looked emotionless.

"We do want pizza, Jux. Thank you." She smiled at her brother as Temari nodded.

"What toppings would you like? Or would you like every type of meat you can get on the pizza like Sakamei."

TenTen grinned. "Meat lovers all the way!"

"You wouldn't expect that from TenTen. _Ne, _Sakamei?" The white-haired girl smiled as TenTen took a while to catch the sexual connotation.

"Shut up, you whore!" Jux offered his sister a small smile before nodding and leaving the room. Not once had anyone besides a family member or his friends made him smile before.

By the time the pizza arrived her family was gone and the girls and Haku were left alone. They sat down in the living room watching horror movies and going through the yearbook to find a guy for Haku. He had grown tired of the girls claiming a guy was gay when they didn't even know them.

It was possible that a guy wasn't gay but could fall in love with a guy by pure chance.

Wasn't it?

Haku silently nibbled at his pizza as Sakamei closed the yearbook, sighing heavily.

"I think that Haku will fall in love with a new guy."

Temari and TenTen raised an eyebrow at their friend as she leaned back against the couch and lifted her pizza slice to her mouth.

"How do you know that?"

Sakamei smiled as she pulled out her cell phone, going to one of the apps in the menu.

"I read his horoscope."

The girls groaned and Haku rolled his eyes.

"What makes you think that will work? Maybe I'll stay single long enough to get you all to shut up about it."

Temari looked to the boy and feigned sadness. "You're so cruel, Haku. We're only trying to help."

The boy only sighed as Sakamei began to read the horoscope for Capricorn.

"'_Someone you've never known before will come into your life and change it for the better. He/she will make you forget about past relationships that didn't end well and keep you in a balanced mood between love and annoyance.'_ The stars don't lie. At least when God tells them not to."

Her friends shook her head as Haku spoke.

"What does yours say since they never lie?"

Sakamei hadn't read hers at all. She must have forgotten about it because she was intent on helping Haku.

"'_Your relationship will reach new heights when feelings are exposed and passion goes aflame. You partner is willing to tell you how they feel and show it also. They want to make sure that you are happy and will do anything to please you. Even though you feel confused now, his/her feelings will lead you in the right direction to a stronger love and a newer you.'_"

Sakamei blushed slightly as she began to feel that the stars really never lied. She was confused, and Sasuke _had _told her how he felt. Was the horoscope true?

Before she could answer this herself her phone was jerked out of her hands and TenTen set it on the table.

"Enough romance bull. It's movie time, and I wanna see Haku cry when he sees the woman with the broken neck on The Grudge."

"I'm not going to cry!"

* * *

><p>Sasuke sipped at his ICEE as he blanked out Naruto and strolled along the sidewalk, his eyes closed as the blonde panicked.<p>

"Are you listening to me Sasuke! I don't know what to get Sakamei for her birthday, _dattebayo_!" Naruto was nearly pulling his hair out as he stepped before the raven.

Sasuke's eyes flashed open and he glared at the blonde.

"I told you before. Your problem is none of my concern. You're supposed to be a close friend to her. You should know what to get her now."

He walked around the blonde and Naruto went to catch up to him.

"You didn't get her anything either! Her birthday is…_twenty-one, twenty-two, twenty –three… _a week away! Do you know how fast twenty-seventh will get here!"

Of course he knew. He was just as nervous as the boy was. He couldn't find the right gift for Sakamei, no matter how hard he tried to think about it.

"What did you get Lee? They have the same birthday, right? They get along well, so maybe they want the same thing."

Naruto stopped, staring at Sasuke as if he had grown a second head.

"Lee wanted green speedos and orange leg warmers. I'm sure Sakamei wouldn't want that." Sasuke smirked at his best friend as he continued down the sidewalk maneuvering between the people moving too slowly for his pace. Naruto managed to just barely keep up, bumping into just about everyone he passed and apologizing multiple times.

He then bumped into someone that had stopped in the middle of the walk and he began to yell at the person that it had been his own fault when he saw it was Sasuke.

The boy had gone still as he stared at the window right before him, his obsidian eyes slightly wide as if he had been a little surprised.

"It's perfect."

Naruto didn't see what was so fascinating about what was there, but he didn't question his friend.

"Looks like you found your gift, right? Of course, you would have to ask her parents first." He knew Sasuke wasn't listening, so the blonde only watched as the boy moved closer to the window to peer at his perfect gift.

"I already know what I can give her to go with it. There are so many options though. Do you think she would like it if it were black? It would just fit into her life so perfectly."

Naruto had never seen his friend so far gone as he mumbled to himself. He then followed the boy into the store and looked around, not knowing how the boy got around so damn fast.

He found his best friend staring down an old, rich looking woman that held the gift he had had in mind.

"Hand it over or I'll feed your grandchildren to my snake." The woman's eyes widened as she quickly placed it in the boy's arms, walking out of the store immediately as Naruto joined him, shaking his head.

"You shouldn't have kids at all. You don't even have a snake."

Sasuke looked to the large tank containing a green and brown boa, a sadistic smile finding his lips.

"I do now."

* * *

><p>A shiver ran up Sakamei's spine as she tapped at the large tank containing Sasuke's new pet. The snake only watched her, its tongue flicking out every now and then. She had always wanted to snake, but she had never imagined actually getting one or seeing one in person.<p>

"How long are you going to do that?" Sasuke wrapped his arms around her waist as she leaned over onto the table to get a better view of the snake, pulling her body flush against his as they both watched the snake.

"It's staring at me."

"Because you're staring at it."

Sakamei stood straight, her eyes still on the snake. "Thank you for telling everyone that I didn't want a party for my birthday. I've had enough horrible memories from them."

She had been seven when Krix ended up blowing out the candles on her cake and downing nearly half of it before her father broke out of his shock and had to pull the boy away from the table. And then she had been eight when Krix accidently tripped Mato and the older boy ended up dumping her cake on her head. Then at nine Krix had tried to light her candles and ended up setting the whole cake on fire.

Mostly things relating to Krix and her cake.

She had told Sasuke this one night when he had called her, and she was surprised that he didn't have any remarks about them. He had silently listened to every word she said, only speaking to ask her more questions.

"They weren't upset when you told them?" She looked over her shoulder at the raven, his eyes holding hers as his arms tightened around her.

"Of course not. They expected you to say that." Sasuke ran his lips along her neck and made Sakamei sigh deeply as he pulled her back to his bed. He fell back into a sitting position, pulling Sakamei down with him onto his lap.

Sasuke gently kissed her lips, his tongue darting out to taste them as she parted her lips for him. He kissed her gently before pulling back to look at her.

"You're quite tolerant today. Is something wrong?"

Sakamei hated how Sasuke could always catch her eyes with his own and give her no possible chance to look away. She intertwined and untwined her fingers as she frowned, unsure of how to say what she wanted.

"Sasuke, I…really, _really_ care about you. A lot more than you can imagine."

Sasuke only watched her, his eyes moving to her hands as they intertwined nervously. She was looking down at the floor, a blush spreading across her cheeks slower than ever.

"Sakamei,"

She could hear the smallest trace of emotion in his voice, and this warmed her heart more than she could imagine.

Sasuke slowly turned the girl to face him fully, pulling her so that she straddled his waist. She only looked down at the chain around his neck instead of up at him. He gently kissed her temple, her eyes wavering for a second before moving back to the chain.

"Sakamei, I love you, and I can't wait for the day that you tell me the same. I'm willing to be patient, as long as you don't end up taking my feelings for granted."

Sakamei looked up at him then, seeing that he was smiling slightly, his eyes downcast as his emotions played over his face in less than a second.

She had seen them all, and she knew that he was completely serious.

"Sasuke…you're the first person I've ever been with. I don't think that I would be capable of doing that when I'm afraid that you could do the same…or that Sakura might still mean something to you."

He looked up at her then, his face gentle and calm as it always was when they were alone.

"I swear that I will never intentionally hurt you, and if I do I will try to do all I can to fix it. I would get hit by a car just to get you to forgive me. And Sakura and I, I told you before that she's nothing more than an ex that decided that we weren't meant to be together. I told you I love you and I meant it. The only person that can keep me from being with you is _you._"

Sakamei wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight embrace as she rested her head on his shoulder. He held her tighter, knowing that getting her to admit her fears about their relationship meant that he was that much closer to having her trust him.

And to love him.

He kissed her, wanting to feel as close to her as possible while he had the chance. Sakamei held him willingly, accepting his kiss with her own as they held each other close, pretending as if they could stay there forever and never part from each other.

Soon Sasuke stopped their kiss for good, the girl moving off of him and onto the bed when he gently tapped her thigh. She watched him move towards the direction of the closet before disappearing from her sight. She waited patiently, smoothing the shirt that she had been wrinkled in their embrace.

He returned seconds later holding a box that fit in the palm of his hand. He sat before her in the middle of the bed and placed the box in her hands as she looked up at him.

"This is my first gift for your birthday. It was the second, but I think that I need your parent's permission first."

The only thing she could think of that would require her father's permission was marriage, but she doubted that the boy would try that any time soon.

At least not until they were fourth years.

She opened the box and gasped at what she saw. On a long chain silver chain was a pendant with two Ss intertwined with a heart that fit in her hand perfectly. There were clear jewels about the size of her pinky nail in running along the back that connected the top layer of letters and heart with another behind it.

She smiled as she looked up at Sasuke, the boy as smug as usual as he watched her eyes go alight.

"I thought that I could get something you would love that would also claim you as mine, so I had this made. I swear it's real, but I'm sure you wouldn't believe me." She pretended to glare at the boy as he moved to put it around her neck.

"Thank you, Sasuke. This is really sweet and protective of you." She touched the necklace that fell between her chest, slipping underneath the plaid button down she wore. Sasuke ran his fingers underneath the chain, his finger delving deeper into her shirt as she realized what he was doing. She watched with a glare as the boy pulled the chian out of her shirt slowly, allowing the back of his fingers to brush against her chest as he smiled up at her.

"No protest?" She returned his smile as she touched the necklace once more.

"Not now because you're being so sweet, but it will come. Just you wait." He smiled again, taking her hands in his and entwining his fingers with hers as he looked down at them.

"Besides the first present, there's a third…it's something I can't give you now. I had planned on giving it to you now because I thought that you would've felt the same way for me as I do for you—or felt for me _more_ than you do now. It's special, and I want to keep it until then. Is that okay with you?"

Sakamei smiled softly at him, nodding as she ran her fingers along the necklace around her neck, more guilt finding its way to her gut as Sasuke leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. He rose then, taking her hand in his so that she rose with her.

"Naruto wanted you to come over so that he could give you your present. We have to pick up Lee too. You brought your gift for him, right?"

She nodded as he led her out of his room, intertwining her fingers with his once more as they moved down the hall. He felt that she was trying to do all she could to show him how much she cared about him, though she wasn't ready to say she loved him.

He squeezed her hand as they descended the stairs and moved for the door, only to be stopped by a very happy long-haired blonde.

"It's little one and his girlfriend! Happy birthday, Sakamei-_chan_." Sasuke glared at the nineteen year old as Sakamei smiled.

"_Arigato,_ DeiDei-_kun_."

Where the hell had she gotten that nickname?

"_Ne,_ Sasuke, what did you get her for her birthday? I bet you did something perverted. That's what Itachi would do."

The blonde stopped when said man stepped into the hall, moving towards the younger couple.

"Happy birthday, Sakamei-_chan_."

"_Arigato, _Ita-_kun._"

_What the hell?_

"Where the hell are these nicknames coming from?" Sasuke had grown tired of hearing Sakamei greet Itachi and his friends with nicknames. There was Kisa-_kun, _Tobi-_kun_ (the only normal name), HiHi-kun, PeiDay, Koko-_chan_, Saso-_kun_, Zeti-_kun, and _Kaku-_kun_. Since when had she gotten so close to them.

Itachi answered his question calmly. "Deidera and Toph-_chan_ are dating, remember? That means when they marry and you and Sakamei marry, he will be your brother-in-law."

Sasuke's eyes widened in horror as Sakamei smiled, the blonde becoming excited.

"That means I'll be related to little one! We'll be like _blood_ brothers, Sasuke! I'll show you the awesomeness of art and how much of an explosion it is!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes and began to pull the girl away, being stopped once more by the group of older men.

"Gift time!" Tobi exclaimed as he rushed back to the living room. It seemed like all of them had gotten close to Sakamei when he hadn't noticed, and he was upset about that.

He protectively put his arm around the girl as Itachi handed her a gift bag consisting of CDs from her favorite KPop bands (I had to do it.). She thanked the boy with a hug before a jealous Sasuke pulled her back, watching each one of them offered her gifts.

With Deidera came a clay bird about the size of his fist, detailed beautifully with majestic-looking features. Sasori offered a small puppet of Sakamei herself, and Sasuke wasn't sure if he was okay with the boy that was dating his ex being around his current girlfriend also.

Kakuzu offered painted hair combs since his hair was so "perfect" and he wanted Sakamei to be able to show off her own. Kisame gave her a stuffed shark that the girl took a liking to immediately, and Sasuke knew that this would join her collection of stuffed animals.

Pein gave her a t-shirt sporting "PEIDAY" in large script with pictures of money all over it and also a large bundle of money to go with it. And he said he wasn't good at giving gifts. Konan offered the girl a large paper flower painted in a rainbow of colors that Sakamei fell in love with. It looked so real.

Zetsu gave her a bouquet of very lively moon flowers, knowing that they were her favorites. She had never seen any so perfect before. Tobi had been begging to give the girl his gift, and when he finally got the chance he gave her a porcelain mask with no markings. The white mask only had two holes for the eyes, and the boy looked quite proud behind his mask as he spoke.

"Matches your hair, doesn't it? Just in case you need to be a little mysterious…or sneak away from Sasuke."

The Uchiha boy growled as Tobi moved away, playfully cowering from him. When Hidan approached he was about ready to go, and when the white-haired man handed a gift bag to the girl Sasuke had it out of her hand in a flash. He looked inside and refused to explain what he saw.

"It's time to go, Sakamei."

Hidan only smiled darkly. "You'll thank me later, Sasuke!"

Sakamei told them all goodbye as Sasuke led her out of the house. He took the bags form her and set them in the backseat being sure to leave a seat for Lee before opening the door for the girl and climbing in himself.

Once Lee was picked up the three headed for Naruto's house, the black-haired boy singing a song he made up about youth and fury. It dragged on for thirty minutes and hadn't even finished when they reached Naruto's house.

"It's our birthday, Sakamei!" Lee exclaimed as he dropped his arm around her shoulder. "Let us celebrate with all we have so that everyone will share our excitement!" Sakamei only smiled, and she doubted that he knew she hated birthday parties thrown for herself. She had heard that the others were throwing a party for Lee later, and she would be there, she just refused to have one for herself.

Sasuke didn't bother to knock and instead opened the door, stepping inside and holding the door for the other two. Sakamei was the last to enter before-

"SURPRISE!"

She could see Lee's excitement at the many voices in the house.

"Thank you all! Gatherings like these are apart of being expressing our YOUTH!" Lee dashed into the room, going to greet the others as Sakamei stayed where she was.

Sasuke nudged her, most likely meaning that some were waiting for her to say something. She smiled nervously, biting her lip as she spoke.

"Thank you, guys, but...I'm kinda blind so I can't see you at all. So...yeah."

She watched as Temari and TenTen moved forward, the blonde wearing one of those little shiny plastic cowboy hats on her head with a sucker hanging from her mouth.

"And to think we wanted to surprise you, blindy. Come in and see everyone before your boyfriend tries to kidnap you again." Temari linked arms with the girl and led her away, casting a smile at a glaring Sasuke as he and TenTen followed.

"Saka-_chan_! What do you think? I came up with this! It was all me!" Naruto seemed a little too hyper right now, and she could see the different candies he had stuffed in his pockets.

"Having an overdoes there, _dobe_?" The blonde boy glared at his best friend as Sakamei smiled, embracing the boy.

"Thank you, Naruto. This is one of the nicest things anyone has every done for me, and the first time I've spent my birthday with friends. You're so sweet."

Naruto smiled as she released him, the hyper bouncing seeming to stop as his cerulean eyes brightened.

"Well it's the least I can do. Your bastard of a boyfriend would never do anything like this for you." Sasuke smirked moving to Sakamei's side and eyeing the blonde.

"Maybe I hadn't thought about it because I was doing what she asked, right?" The blonde looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Ah, you're right, but it doesn't matter now because it already happened. Wait 'til you see what I got you, Sakamei! They're totally something you would use! It'll be better than what Emo got you."

The party dragged on for hours, and Lee was intent on telling everyone how happy he was that his birthday was so important to him and that he would never forget this, which apparently he said every birthday party, or so Sakamei was told.

When the time for cake came around Sakamei was surprised to find that instead they had baked a punch of cookies for her, which Temari decided to do to spite her. She ended up taking a small box of them home, each one of them spelling out her name in blue and green incing.

When the gifts came around she received gifts from all of her friends:

Two bra and panty sets from Temari with 'Titsy McGee' written on the bras in cursive (oh, how funny) and a set of very cute lace up boots that came up to mid-thigh.

A huge Hershey's Kiss and one of those huge jawbreakers that change colors the longer you suck on them that you can't find _anywhere _anymore from TenTen since she shared her sweets addiction.

A German Shepherd stuffed animal and a charm bracelet from Haku, and also a note about threatening to murder her if she didn't stay out of his love life.

A very pretty set of leather and metal cuff bracelets that she loved so much because she would really use them from Naruto. The blonde knew exactly what she would want.

Lee got her a set of multicolored tights that she liked but would have a hard time finding use of since she had nothing to match them, but at least he liked the orange leg warmers and green sweaters and jeans she had gotten him.

Gaara had given her a journal with a white fur covering and a matching pen, knowing she enjoyed writing poems and things like that. Though they hadn't spent much time together unless she bugged him whenever she went to his house with Temari, he still got a long with her well.

Kiba gave her a cute little set of music notebooks with pictures of puppies on them and little pins with the same dogs on them.

Chouji gave her an assortment of cookbooks with a lot of his favorite foods tabbed so she would know what to bring to school often.

Shikamaru gave her a Rubik's Cube with pictures she had taken during school replacing the colors.

Hinata gave her a large bouquet of moon flowers (her favorite) and a book about arranging flowers, which Sakamei had been meaning to learn since her mother had loved it so much.

Neji gave her a Mindflex game that Hinata told her that her cousin had become intrigued with after Hanabi convinced him to try it.

By the time everyone had to leave they were going with a car filled with gifts and a pissed off Sasuke after he had been tackled and had a cookie shoved into his mouth.

Who could hate sweets that much?

Luckily he wasn't too mad and hadn't knocked anyone (especially Naruto or Kiba) out cold, so things were going well.

After dropping off Lee and sorting presents to make sure they got their own, the two rode in a comfortable silence as Sakamei lay her head on his shoulder, knowing he wouldn't try to grab her and take advantage of her at the moment.

Only when they stopped before her house did he embrace her, pressing his lips to hers gently. She smiled up at him, speaking quietly.

"You breath smells sweet...like a cookie." The boy frowned, narrowing his eyes at her with a small smirk.

"This is a one in a lifetime opportunity. i suggest you enjoy this scent because it won't be there for long." She giggled, taking his face in her hands and kissing him on the lips once more before something occurred to her.

"Where's my gift from Hidan?" Sasuke tilted his head to the side, watching the girl as she waited patiently.

"It's nothing you should be worrying about right now. You wouldn't even know what to do with it unless I did it for you, but I don't think you're ready for that."

She frowned at the boy, not wanting to know what the perverted thing was that he was talking about, so instead she kissed him again.

He held her there for a while, caressing her legs slowly and pulling her closer, pushing his tongue past her parted lips. She sucked at his tongue, making the boy clutch her tighter and pull her onto his lap, making her straddle his waist.

Sakamei wrapped her arms around his neck, clutching the back of his shirt as he kissed her, their tongues moving slowly against each others. Sasuke smirked into the kiss as the girl grew tense. He had never teased hr this way before.

He moved his tongue slower, making the girl shift impatiently on his lap.

He released the girl's lips to allow her to breathe, only to have her pull him back and try to quicken the kiss. He kept his pace slow, the girl giving into him and moving her tongue slowly against his, thought the impatience was still lingering underneath it.

Sasuke's breath caught in his throat when the girl began to grind against him unconsciously, her patience growing thin and making her do things she would have never thought of doing before. He held her tighter as his breathing sped up and he quickened their kiss, their breathing beginning to fog up the windows.

He couldn't help but push his hips against hers, meeting her grinds with his own. Sakamei felt heat settle between her legs as she pushed against the boy, a soft moan leaving her lips as he pushed against her. She felt a bulge in his pants grow and blushed slightly, but she was unable to stop herself from moving against him.

Sasuke's arms wrapped around her tighter as he deepened their kiss, pushing his hips against hers harder as he began to lose all self control. He caught himself immediately, knowing that the girl had felt his growing erection by now. He kissed her one last time, cursing at himself for losing control so easily.

He ran his fingers through her hair and parted their lips, taking in her flushed face and now swollen lips that he was eager to taste once more.

"I'll see tomorrow morning. I have to go to Oto with my brother and father, and it will be about for weeks before I get back. I know I won't be in school, but I will make sure I come see you as soon as I get back."

Sakamei pouted as she looked down at the boy, making him chuckled slightly as he ran his fingers down her cheek.

"You'll be gone during Christmas! You promised that we would spend as much time together as we could during Christmas break. It would have been our first Christmas together as a couple and...and...what about the gift you promise me?" She knew she sounded childish and wanted to say more than this, but she found it hard to speak her mind the way she wanted to right now. He had made this promise during one of their many late night phone calls just to show the girl how much he cared about her. She couldn't help but be upset and slightly angry that he would have to go for that long. Whatever happened to spending the holidays with friends and family?

"Don't worry about it. I left all of my gifts for you with Naruto, and your gift...I'll bring it in the morning. Just don't be too upset with me, alright? Spending time with you is very important to me, but this trip to Oto is important to my future in the Uchiha Law Firm. You know I love you, i told you before, but this is important too. I swear we'll spen Christmas together next year. I'll make sure we stay together long enough for that."

He looked at the clock radio, noting that it was eleven and he had to get up at five in the morning.

"I'm sorry, Sakamei, but I have to go."

Sakamei moved off of him, silently collecting her gifts without another word. Sasuke sighed inwardly, watching her step out of the car to get her gifts in the back seat.

he got out also, taking most of the bags and trying to think of what to say to comfort the girl.

He followed her to the front door, stopping her when she moved to unlock the door.

"Listen, Sakamei," he said sternly, drawing the girl's full attention. "If I could I would stay. I wouldn't purposefully break a promise like this. I just need you hold me on this promise until next year. We'll spend Christmas together then. I promise. Don't hold this over my head like this. I if could get out of this I would, but this trip is betting on my whole career. I've done too much to lose my title as heir now, and I won't lose it or _you_ like this. I'll call you when I'm free and I'll make sure that Naruto and the other's check in on you. just don't be upset with me, Sakamei."

He waited for the girl to respond as she turned back to the door.

"Sure, Sasuke. Good luck with whatever you have to do in Oto." If she was trying to sound reassuring, she was failing miserably. She unlocked the door and stepped inside, allowing him to set the gifts down inside.

"Welcome home, Sakamei! What did you get! Is there anything you can share!" Krix dashed out of the living room with Mato strolling slowly behind him.

_"Konichiwa,_ Sasuke. Thank you for bringing Sakamei home safely." Sasuke nodded, glancing at Sakamei as she set her bags down.

"'Night, Sasuke. Good luck on your business trip." He knew she was trying to rush him out of the door, and when she didn't even look up at him as she spoke, he knew he couldn't let her do this.

Sasuke took her face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers, ignoring the _eeewww_that came from Krix before parting slowly from her, holding her gaze.

"I'll see you tomorrow. It will be early, so I'm just warning you now." He pressed his lips to her temple before wishing them all a good night and leaving, closing the door behind him.

Sakamei looked up at Krix, who looked pea green as he kept a hand clamped over his mouth and she groaned.

"I swear, Krix, it's like you're seven sometimes!"

* * *

><p>I love Lee so much. He's so full of happiness, determination, and energy, and not to mention that we have the same birthday! It's so awesome!<p>

And those freaking jawbreakers were a little smaller than a baseball and were so awesome. I can't find those things anywhere!

And, guys, PLEASE REVIEW!

I'm dying here, and I don't care what you say! You can just say hi! Or leave an anonymous comment and tell me what you like and dislike about my characters! Tell me what you think should happen. It can be a private message! Just talk to me! A simple hi would be nice, right?

I'M DESPERATE! I JUST WANT YOU GUYS TO TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK!


	26. Syo Sigarayu:Another Who Has Seiryoku

Hello.

I've made a friend on , and her Fanfic name is Gaara' 'sWife. She's a really nice person, but she's been going through a lot lately with her relationships and her schizophrenia, and that's why this chapter is dedicated to her!

She's been one of the people that make me want to keep writing my fics, and I also have a younger brother that's schizophrenic, so I know that he relates to her too. I write this hoping that you all will show some recognition for Gaara'sFangirl, my brother, and everyone else out there that have to go through this too. I don't know how they feel, but I know that they need support more than you know.

I hope you like this chapter, Sophie!

* * *

><p>Syo Sigarayu: Another Who Has Siryoku<p>

Sakamei pinned her hair back from her face, sighing as she impatiently waited for Sasuke to come. She had decided that she would leave without a care if he didn't show up before she had to prepare for school. It was 4:25 now, and she had gotten up early just so she wouldn't have to prepare for school just to have him not show up twenty minutes ago. She could be asleep right now, but it would be difficult to get back to sleep now. That was always a problem with her.

She was still upset about him leaving now, and she didn't think she would ever be okay with it. Even if they hadn't been together a year yet, spending Christmas together was something a couple did so that they _could _ get just that much closer to the relationship they wanted.

Just as she picked up her back and rose from her bed to get out her winter uniform when the door opened and Sasuke walked in, bringing a rush of cool air into the room.

She had forgotten how cold it had gotten all of a sudden. The wind was harsh and there was ice on the roads. She couldn't wait until it began to snow. Naruto had told her that Konoha was beautiful in the winter. It hadn't snowed much in Oto, and seeing snow for the first time was something that she would have loved to have spent her first time seeing real snow with Sasuke, but he wasn't going to be there to share it with her.

She watched him as he moved forward, a large box in his hands with three smaller ones on top of it. He nodded towards the bed, his obsidian eyes narrowing as the girl took her time sitting back down.

Sasuke knew that she would still be upset with him. It was something that was bound to happen with the stubborn girl, but he would fix things now.

He kissed her cheek before setting the boxes beside him.

"I have a few more gifts for you." She looked at the boxes, thinking that she might have heard something coming from the largest one, but she did not question this.

"I thought you said one gift." He nodded, lifting the second largest and placing it in her hands.

"I did, but these come with it." Sakamei looked at the gift wrapped box in her hands, slowly unwrapping it just to irk the boy. She didn't care if she was late now. She just wanted him as upset as she was. Hopefully he would miss his stupid flight.

A white eyebrow rose.

A dog leash?

The deep purple dog chain had a gold clasp with an S inscribed in it.

"Is this supposed to be funny?" Sasuke did not answer so she looked up at Sasuke, who picked up the second gift.

She contemplated opening the box, unsure if it would make her want to choke the bastard.

She unwrapped the box and her white eyes grew wide.

A gold dog collar.

"What the heck is your problem? Are you insulting me? Because I swear you've pushed your luck enough!" she yelled, glaring at the raven as he smiled slightly. He stopped her from tossing it at him and gripped her wrist, kissing the hand that held the collar.

"Just hold on."

He pulled the third gift, which was a large envelope. He slid the paper out and looked up at her, holding her gaze.

"Are you ready?"

Sakamei did not answer as she glared at Sasuke, daring him to make things any worse than they were.

She snatched the paper from his hand, turning it around so that she could see it.

It was a birth certificate.

"What the hell?"

Sakamei began to tear the paper, but Sasuke's hand on her knee made her stop completely.

"Let me explain before you kill me," he said, being half playful. "You have to open this one to understand."

Sakamei knew the crazy bastard wouldn't buy- or steal- a baby, so why would he give her a birth certificate?

She slowly lifted the lid of the box and gasped as she looked down at the little puppy. The white and gray Husky had blue eyes that made her aww in defeat. Sasuke smiled as he watched her and knew that he was winning her over.

Sakamei lifted the puppy into her arms, realizing that this was what she had heard earlier.

"This is what the birth certificate is for. Do you forgive me now?"

Sakamei looked up at her boyfriend, trying and failing to fight the smile that overcame her.

"Thank you, Sasuke. I forgive you...for now." He smiled leaning forward to kiss her until the Husky began wriggling around, seeming to refuse to let the boy come near the girl with the warm embrace.

Sakamei smiled down at it, ignoring the slightly peeved Sasuke as he pulled the pen from his pocket.

"Have you thought of a name?" Sakamei nodded, holding the Puppy to her shoulder as if it were a baby. Sasuke handed her the pen, watching the left handed girl sign her first name on the line for mother.

The girl first looked to the line for the Puppy's name, looking down at him. She thought the first name that popped into her mind fit perfectly and signed immediately.

_Kanye Uchiha_

Sasuke's eyebrow rose but he did not question her. He told himself he would rather not have the girl upset with him again.

He lied.

"Kanye? Are you trying to embarrass him?" Sakamei frowned before sticking her tongue at him. She looked down at the puppy.

"Don't listen to him. He's just jealous because I'm going to buy you a chain and a little hat. You'll be a cute little puppy."

Sasuke only watched as she lowered the puppy into her lap, signing her first name on the line for mother. She then looked to him as she hovered her hand over the last name line. His eyebrow rose as he waited for her to sign her name.

Nothing could describe the feeling he got when she wrote Uchiha on the line, or stop the smile that found itself on his lips.

Sakamei looked up at him, trying her hardest not to blush as he gently moved the sleeping puppy to her side and pressed his lips to hers.

She accepted his kiss, her eyes drifting closed as she parted her lips for the raven. He lay her back on the bed, never once removing his lips from hers as he held her in his tight embrace. Their kiss was slow, passionate, and every kind of gentle that Sakamei could ever imagine. She felt emotions flood her stomach as he held her tight, his skin cold from the outside air. She wished he could stay here with her and hold her like he was. She would do anything to keep it this way.

Sakamei felt the urge to tell him how she felt. She had admitted her feelings for Sasuke to her father, so why couldn't she tell him?

Her breathing sped as thoughts of Sasuke giving up on trying to get her to tell him how she felt filled her mind.

She couldn't panic now. She would be separated from Sasuke sooner.

_He would be too worried to focus on what he has to do if I end up in the hospital from another panic attack._

**_-._**

_**Or would he?**_

**-.**

She forced herself to calm down. A trip to the hospital was the last thing the Uchiha needed to see happen when he was being forced to leave her.

_Of course he would. he's told me he loved me so many times before, and I know he wouldn't lie to me.  
><em>

_**-.**_

_**But what if he said the same to Sakura?  
><strong>_

**-.**

Sakamei's fists gripped Sasuke's shirt. He still had not noticed her inner turmoil, and she prayed he would not.

_How would Sasuke feel if he knew I was doubting him?  
><em>

**_-._**

**_He couldn't care less.  
><em>**

**-.**

Where had this voice come from? She had thought it was her conscious before, but it put so many sad thoughts in her mind about her ending things with Sasuke that she became unsure of which thoughts were her own.

Maybe it was because her body was still trying to get over the high dosage of medicine she had taken before. Maybe that Sakamei was still there, she was just too weak to come out again.

_But she isn't me. I'm Sakamei. That girl, she would try to hurt Sasuke.  
><em>

Sakamei shook her head slightly as Sasuke pressed against her, having not noticed how desperate she had become to feel him so close to her.

She needed to know that he would stay with her.

Even when that Sakamei influenced her thoughts.

_I can wait for him to come back. He loves me. He told me before. I could ask him again and again and his answer will always be the same._

_I know that I can trust Sasuke-  
><em>

_**-.**_

_**No you can't.  
><strong>_

**-.**

Her antagonizing thoughts frustrated her as she pressed her lips harder against his, Sasuke responding immediately. He had told her so many times before, so it wasn't difficult to believe.

...

It_ shouldn't _be difficult.

...

But every time she tried to tell him the words caught in her throat and she ended up watching Sasuke sit in his veil of yearning. She hadn't seen it before, but now it was so clear to her that she wanted to do all she could to get rid of his unsure emotions, to show him that his love wasn't unrequited, but the only thing she could do to help him was unattainable.

_**-.**_

_**As long as I'm here he won't ever be able to lie to you again.**_

**-.**

Sakamei felt her heart slip as Sasuke began to pull away from her. He couldn't go yet.

_**-.**  
><em>

_Not until you're out of my head._

**-.**

She pulled him back, the boy embracing her once more and giving her a heart melting kiss that showed that every time he spoke those three words he was telling the truth.

**-.**

And then that cold, fake Sakamei was gone.

**-.**

He slowly parted his lips from hers and gazed down at her, his eyes sad as Sakamei gripped his shoulders to try to hold him where he was.

He kissed the wrist of her left hand, his eyes closing as he felt his skin against hers for a while before looking at his love once more.

"I love you, Sakamei, but I have to leave now. You'll be the first person I come to see when I get back, and I'll call you every chance I get. You just have to prepare for me to call you at two in the morning most nights."

He smiled, watching as Sakamei smiled too, remembering how often he told her this when he was unable to spend time with her certain days. His smile faded as he watched Sakamei's eyes waver and her small laugh disappear into a heartbreaking sob, unshed tears causing her to look away from him.

He smiled sincerely, wiping at the tears that fell down her cheeks.

"You're acting like I'm leaving for the military, Sakamei."

He felt the need to crawl into the bed with her and hold her for days at a time, to kiss her and feel her near him so that he knew that he would always have her.

.

But he couldn't do that.

.

He kissed her eyes, her nose, and lastly her lips, lingering there for a while before he slowly rose from her.

Her white eyes remained closed as he moved away from her, not wanting to watch him leave. She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand fervently, knowing she appeared childish right now.

"It won't be long, Sakamei. Just a while."

Sasuke felt as if his heart was being torn from his chest more and more with each step he took away from his Sakamei. When he reached the car that waited for him outside he leaned against it heavily, his hand at his chest as he inhaled deeply.

.

He had mistaken his emotions for real pain.

.

"Forgot to take your medicine again, little brother?"

Sasuke's hand fell from his chest as his eyes narrowed, standing straight and stiff as the man neared, casting a look over his shoulder. He had nearly forgotten that Itachi had come with him.

"It's none of your concern. Let's get out of here before we miss the flight."

He cast a final glance to Sakamei's bedroom window, his eyes falling on Sakamei as she looked out as far as her vision allowed her.

Never would he have ever thought that he would say this, but thank God that she hadn't been able to see the episode he had nearly risked revealing so early on.

* * *

><p>"What do you think, Sakamei? It's beautiful, <em>ne? Ne?<em>"

Sakamei cast the excited Naruto a smile as he led her down the Village Walkway: the nickname for the sidewalks that led to the many different stores. People were rushing here and there as they rushed to do last minute Christmas shopping. Sakamei and Naruto were moving slowly through the groups of people, seeming as if they were moving in slow motion compared to the shoppers around them.

Kanye pranced beside her wearing his new leash and collar, having gone with the girl so that he could try on hats and chains as promised for his Christmas presents.

The snow falling from the sky at it's own pace, as if it were waiting for the person they loved to return to them.

Sakamei envied the snow's patience, as she had to fight tears every time Sasuke called her.

What would she do when Sasuke's future career drove him away for months, or maybe even a year at a time?

Sakamei snickered.

_**-.**_

_**I probably would have killed myself by then.**_

_**-.**_

She took a deep breath, knowing that this thought hadn't been her own. Instead she stopped, cupping her glove covered hand to catch the snowflakes.

She looked at the different shapes before they melted on the white gloves she wore. She had never prepared for snow in Konoha, so her clothing blended into the snow really well, meaning there was a higher chance of someone hitting her if she tried to cross the street.

"Oh my gosh! It's Yuki-_onna_!"

Sakamei looked up just as she was pummeled with snow balls, one hitting her square in the face.

She stumbled back slightly, shaking the snow from her knit hat-covered head, wishing her vision stretched a little bit further so that she could see past the many feet of the children that had done this to her.

"What the heck is your problem, you little brats?" Naruto exclaimed, making one of the boys, most likely the one that had hit her in the face, stepped forward.

His brown hair was long and pointed towards the sky, green goggles holding back the locks. He wore a long blue scarf around his neck that dragged along the ground, leaving a trail in the snow.

He looked smugly at Naruto and pointed a thumb towards his own chest, smiling and revealing two missing teeth.

"My name is Konohamaru and I'm protecting Konoha from the Yuki-_onna_!"

The group of children behind him cheered, moving forward with more snowballs in their arms to toss at her. Naruto stepped before her, growling at them.

"Oh really? Well I'll see about that!"

Sakamei's eyes widened as Konohamaru smiled wickedly and accepted a snowball from the orange-haired girl beside him.

"My pleasure."

Naruto's eyebrows furrowed as he watched the boy. Only then did he notice the little red wagon filled with snowballs behind them.

"Ready!"

_"Ready!"_

"Aim!"

_"Aim!"_

"Fire!"

They screamed this in unison as they began tossing ass many balls as they could at them, Naruto actually moving behind Sakamei to dodge them himself.

"Some help you are!"

Naruto grinned nervously at her before he was hit right in the face with a large snowball, falling flat on his butt.

Sakamei began to smirk before the children began assaulting her alone.

She couldn't see at all as snowball after snowball pummeled her and Kanye's barking sounded every where. Apparently the little puppy was dodging snowballs too.

"Die Yuki-_onna_!"

"We won't let you trick anymore guys like that idiot!"

"...Wait-WHAT?"

Naruto took immediate offense to the children's term for him and began arguing with Konohamaru instead of _helping her._

Sakamei was sure that they had plenty of viewers watching them now. She could hear the people talking to each other as they stopped to watch the Yuki-_onna _get attacked by seven year olds.

She shrieked when she slipped on ice and fell on her butt a few steps away from Naruto, who had only been sitting there for the last two minutes.

"_What are you all doing?"_

The snowballs stopped immediately and Sakamei felt snow slide into her sweater down her spine. She shivered, deciding not to remove her sweater out of fear that her white sweater was soaked and would be completely see through.

She couldn't see the person that caused the children to stop yet, but she could tell that he was much older by the sound of his voice.

She could see lean legs of a make in dark jeans and Timberland boots, but her vision stopped at his waist, which was about the same height as the kids looking up at him.

"Christ! I've told you before that you can't just do this to random people! You started this, didn't you, Konohamaru?"

The boy smiled, most likely from the way the his name rhymed with the two words before it.

"But we were stopping the Yuki-_onna_! She caught that dummy and we were trying to save him!"

"Who are you calling 'dummy', you little brat!"

Konohamaru and Naruto stuck their tongues at each other as Sakamei, who was happy she had tied up her hair so that it fell to her waist, shook her head just as Kanye had shaken out his fur.

"You're going to get it, Konohamaru! Are you two alright?"

The teen knelt before Sakamei as she rubbed her cold face with one hand, her hat in other as she shook it out at her side.

"I'm fine-"

Sakamei's eyes widened as she was met with eyes like her own, the boy's face mirroring her surprise.

Naruto wasn't sure if Sasuke would be alright with them looking at each other like that.

"Alright, Sakamei, it's time for us to head out! Come on, Kanye!"

The little dog barked as he rose from where he sat at Naruto's side, his leash having been released by his owner. Sakamei looked to Naruto, realizing that she had been staring at the boy before her, but she had never known anyone besides her mother that had eyes as white as hers.

"Sakamei...? Sakamei Senju?"

Sakamei looked to the boy when he spoke her name, unsure if she should be wary or not. There had to be a few people that knew who she was if they had known about her mother and father.

The boy was very handsome, his skin slightly tanned and his white hair slightly wavy and shaggy. His face appeared perfectly even, his jaw slightly squared and his nose straight. He wore a blue coat over his long sleeved t-shirt and dark wash jeans with Timberland boots. On his head was a knit hat that was the same shade as his coat.

And his eyes were whiter than the snow.

Sakamei blushed when she glanced back at the boy crouching before her, realizing that he was still watching her. She bit her lip, glancing between the boy and Naruto as the blonde thought about what Sasuke would do right now.

"Oh no! Syo has fallen for the Yuki-_onna! Attack!"_

Sakamei braced herself for the oncoming attack once more, her arms flying to cover her face.

"Don't even try it, Konohamaru."

She heard the children sigh in disappointment as Syo offered her his hand, helping her from the ground. She was sure that her jeans were soaked through now. At least they were next door the a clothing store.

Syo still held her hand after she had risen from the ground, and when he realized this he let her go immediately, his hand moving to rub the back of his neck as a nervous look marred his face.

"I'm sorry about them. Their imaginations can run a little wild sometimes. I'm Syo Sigarayu by the way."

He outstretched his hand and Sakamei shook it, Naruto joining them with his arms behind his head and his elbows in the air.

"So what, are all of them your kids?"

Syo's eyes widened.

"What?-No! We're from the same orphanage, you know? I'm not even that old," Syo mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. He glanced at Sakamei, a slight blush on his face before he looked back to Naruto.

"I think I'm going to go buy something new to wear. my clothes are soaked now." Sakamei was freezing, and a cool breeze had begun to work up. There was no way she would stay here.

She lifted the Husky pup into her arms, smoothing his fur before turning to Naruto.

"Watch Kanye for me. I won't be long." The blonde accepted the dog and looked at Syo again, his eyebrow rising as the white-haired boy watched Sakamei quickly disappear into the store.

Syo noticed the blonde watching him and smiled nervously, trying to think of what to say. Naruto smiled, thinking that he should tell the boy about Sakamei's cruel, cruel boyfriend.

"You like 'er don't you?"

Syo's eyes widened, not wanting to upset the blonde. He obviously had a close relationship with the girl.

"I'm sorry! Is she your girlfriend? I didn't mean to stare, I was just-I should just stop talking now, huh?"

Naruto had never met anyone as socially awkward as himself, but this guy took the cake. A golden eyebrow rose as the white-haired boy rambled on, most likely trying to explain why he had been staring at Sakamei.

Naruto's cerulean eyes lit up. He really thought Sakamei was his girlfriend?

"You don't have any reason to explain to me. Sakamei's not my girlfriend. She's just a close friend. Like a sister really. You can stare all you want...for now. I'm not as harsh as-" Syo's nervous stature disappeared as he cut the blonde off.

"So she's single-?"

Sakamei exited the store then, wearing a new pair of jeans and a new sweater.

But her clothes were still white.

She still wore her long sleeved v-neck t-shirt under a long, fitting coat that stopped above her knee high lace up snow boots, the wedges in them a light shade of brown. Her new jeans were tucked into her boots and her gloves had been replaced for longer ones that came up to her elbows under her shirt. Her knit hat was still on her head, and she looked even more like the snow woman Konohamaru and the children had mistaken her for.

"Apparently their having a Christmas sell where their theme is 'White As Snow'," Sakamei said with fake enthusiasm. "But then they asked me if I wanted to model for them so I got the clothes free. Are you ready to go yet...?"

Sakamei had forgotten that Syo was there, and when he looked at her with that _look _again she felt herself blush.

"Wait, um, Sakamei. I-I was wondering...about your eyes and..."

Sakamei bit her lip, trying to think of what to say when Konohamaru moved forward.

"Syo, Moegi and I think that you're trying to flirt with this girl, and we don't think that it's a good idea because there's a chance that she is-"

"She is not Yuki-_onna_!"

Konohamaru pouted when Syo and Naruto spoke in unison, sharing a look with the girl beside him.

"Fine. She's normal. Can we go back to the orphanage now? Gwen'll eat everything if we don't get there soon." Syo nodded, looking back to Sakamei.

"I was wondering if...you know, if your vision was as bad as mine? Stupid, right?" He smiled nervously, waiting for the girl's response.

"She can't see ten feet in front of her. Literally." Sakamei glared at Naruto, Syo watching the two with a small smile.

"Then it affects your heart too, right-?"

"Let's go, Syo! Udon hasn't done my homework- I mean, I haven't done my homework yet."

The white-haired boy cast a knowing look at Konohamaru before looking back to Sakamei once more. She was eyeing one of the children that was forming another snowball, the boy stopping immediately when he found the glare on him.

"Your eyes, they're form some sort of disease, aren't they?" Sakamei's eyebrows rose as she glanced back at the boy, only giving him her full attention when the boy dropped the snowball and moved to join the group of children.

"They are. You heard about my mother, Lanamei Senju, right?" The boy nodded, a bit of snow falling from the blue knit hat on his head.

"I didn't know that there were people that went through the same thing I did until I heard of your mother. I thought it was amazing how she still established her dream of becoming a singer when she was suffering so much. I guess I wished that I had her strength too."

Sakamei smiled slightly, knowing that her mother's strength had been non-existent sometimes. She decided not to dwell on it as the boy spoke once more.

Naruto was highly confused. he spoke as if the woman had died, but Sakamei had never told anyone this. Naruto and his friends had never heard of the singer, though her name had been spoken around them many times before by their parents and other adults. They had noticed that Sakamei's mother was never around, but they had always thought that the woman was out of town like the girl's father often was.

"I'm sorry that you lost her. I'm sure that she helped you get through whatever it is we have."

"Sakamei..."

Sakamei looked at Naruto with a frown, knowing what he was thinking.

Never once had the girl spoken of her mother's death, and he wasn't sure if she had done it purposely or if it was too painful to talk about.

"She was strong for all of us, or at least she did to the most of us."

Sakamei had been the only one to know her mother's struggles. She had watched her mother's memory leave her moments at a time, and she had seen the woman secretly place two pills from her medication down the drain every day so that her father would believe that she was still taking them. Lanamei knew that the drugs were only making her worse.

But by the time she stopped taking them it had been too late.

"I was wondering...do you know Dr. Yamato?" Sakamei had heard this name before.

"He's the doctor my father wants me to start seeing next year." Syo smiled, his hands moving into his pockets. He had become less nervous and seemed perfectly confident, as if he hadn't been rambling like an idiot moments before.

"he's my doctor also, and I've been helping him out every now and then. I just wanted to make sure that you were getting the best medical service you can. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one going through this."

Sakamei offered him a kind smile, taking note of the children behind him. No wonder Naruto had been trying not to smile for the last minute or so.

Before she could speak Syo was pummeled with snowballs, the children yelling and laughing as the boy did all he could to dodge them. Naruto laughed and then looked to Syo, who had recollected himself after the children stopped.

With a smile he looked back at Naruto, the blonde's eyes widening as he saw the snowball in his hand.

"You saw this was coming, didn't you?"

Naruto tried to feign surprise.

"Me? Well, of course not. I would have told you otherwise-"

The boy was hit right in the face _again_, and when he managed to get the snow out of his face he growled playfully as he made a ball of his own.

"I'll kick your ass, Syo!"

They all went into a full out snowball fight, Sakamei, dumbfounded, standing right in the middle of the game. She composed herself, trying to look for anyone in her peripheral view to get their attention.

"This isn't a good idea! This a public place! Someone might get the police-!"

Sakamei shrieked when she was hit in the side of the head, the girl nearly tipping over at the force. Kanye barked when she almost dropped him, and Sakamei made a decision she would remember for the rest of her life.

She should keep her mouth shut most of the time.

* * *

><p>I've always wanted a Husky and I also thought that Kanye would be a good name for him, but my father says that it's too hot in Houston to have one. It is not because my cousin had one named Cali!<p> 


	27. Kiba's New Girlfriend

I just heard about the new Naruto Shippuden movie coming out in June and I am very upset because.

*SPOILER IF YOU DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THE MOVIE*

SASUKE FREAKING LIKES SAKURA!

I think that this is horrible. There is only one thing that I support and that is:

Naruto likes Hinata!

The Sasuke thing has been on my mind the whole time. I am so going to make a fanfic for this movie so that Sasuke's crush ENDS!

* * *

><p><em><em>Kiba's New Girlfriend (A/N: I couldn't think of a better title for this chapter)

**_Monday, December 16 (One day after meeting Syo)_**

"..."

"..."

"Hi."

"Hello."

"..."

"..."

"...What do you want?"

Sakamei was at a loss when one of the many new students at their school approached her, having been staring at her for several seconds without a word.

"It's just that...I've never seen anyone as beautiful as you. You're breathtaking."

Sakamei blushed profusely, the boy smirking at how easily he had fooled her.

"No," he shook his head and slipped his hands into his pockets, moving to sit beside her on the bench. She was in her free period, one she usually shared with Sasuke, Neji, and Gaara, but her boyfriend was gone and the other two had been forced to help Genma get rid of a few "things" he had hidden in his desk because he had heard that Tsunade was doing classroom checks. She sighed at the thought as she waited for the boy to continue.

"The real reason I'm here-other than staring at you-was to ask you a very important question."

When the boy did not continue Sakamei looked up at him, the boy stretching his arms on the back of the bench.

He was looking straight ahead, his jade green eyes glinting in the sun. he was handsome, his skin tanned and his hair an orange a few shades lighter than Pein's, his hair styled just like Minato's, though it was slightly longer. He had a muscular yet lithe build, and it reminded her of someone else, though she had no time to dwell on it when the boy spoke again.

"You know Naruto." Sakamei was sure that the boy wasn't asking a question, so she only waited for him to continue. "Naruto's a close friend of yours, and I need your help talking to him."

The boy looked at her, his green eyes gleaming in the sun light as he narrowed them, his eyes moving over her face.

"But there's no rush. I could sit here and flirt with you fir the rest of the day. I mean, there are only, what, two more periods today?" Sakamei blushed again, the boy actually chuckling at how quick she was to believe him. Come on, he was only being half truthful.

Maybe _a little more _than half, but not completely.

"N-Naruto-_kun,_ I have my next class with him. Do you know him?" The boy only smiled, showing the girl that he wouldn't answer. She frowned at this, but she did not know what else to say to the boy.

They only sat in silence, making Sakamei feel awkward yet comfortable in a strange way. It wasn't the comfort she felt when she was with Sasuke, but it also was not the friendly comfort she felt with Naruto and the others. It was one that made her feel an intense, addicting heat beneath her skin that was nearly addicting. It was different from the exciting, electrifying rush Sasuke set in her core every time he was near. She wondered if she got different feelings every time she was with a different person.

The boy beside her shifted as he sighed, his jean-clad knee touching her own and making the heat she felt increase. A shiver ran down her spine and the boy noticed immediately, his head snapping to her as a crooked smile found his lips.

"By the way, my name is Hikari Namikaze. Nice to meet you, baby."

* * *

><p>Sasuke bit his lip as he tried to call once again.<p>

_Why wasn't she answering her phone?_

"_Sasuke!_"

He sighed with relief when Sakamei's voice sounded through the phone, the girl laughing with excitement as he smiled, something he would only do for her.

"Sakamei...I miss you."

He heard the girl sigh as he locked the door of his hotel room, being sure that no one-not even his father-would steal the little time he had with Sakamei that day.

"_I miss you too, Sasuke. How is everything_?" She sounded truly sincere, and he missed how caring the girl was. He missed everything about her.

"Everything is fine, I just..." he heard knocking at his door and spoke once more, his voice slightly above a whisper.

"I wish I could have brought you with me."

He could feel the girl smiling through the phone and sighed when the knocking did not cease.

"Hold on, Sakamei."

"_What's going on-?_"

He held his phone in hand as he moved to the door, thrusting the door open and glaring at the only person occupying the hall.

"Little brother, father is upset that you left dinner without speaking to his business partner and his family." Sasuke narrowed his eyes on Itachi, the older man only sighing as he slipped his hands into the pocket of his business suit.

"He only wants me to talk to the man's daughter again, and I have no interest in that." Sasuke glanced at his phone again, touching the screen to be sure that Sakamei hadn't hung up.

"Just play nice Sasuke. You can get back to whatever you were doing in about an hour." Sasuke sighed, knowing that the longer he stood here, the less time he would have to speak to Sakamei.

He could hear her calling out through the speaker, and by the sound of it, she was getting less and less patient along the way.

"Fine. I'll be there in a minute. Just go." Itachi smiled as he turned, his eyes falling on Sasuke's phone as Sakamei groaned through the speaker.

"Hi, Sakamei-_chan._" Sasuke glared at his brother as the older Uchiha's smile widened.

"_Hi, Ita-kun." _Itachi moved down the hall, his younger brother watching him leave before sighing and moving back into the room.

Sasuke closed the door and held the phone to his ear again.

"I'm back," he said as he moved to the bed and lay on his back, wanting to be able to fully listen to her voice without moving around too much.

"_I miss you, Sasuke. And Kanye does too._" He heard the dog bark at his own name, Sakamei giggling as she began speaking to the dog. Sasuke wondered if giving her the dog was a good idea or not. He wouldn't admit it, but he would be fully jealous if the dog got more of her attention than he did.

"I miss you more...Did you enjoy the snow?" He heard the girl gasp as she shifted on what he expected was her bed.

"_It was beautiful, Sasuke. Naruto and Kiba tried to make a snowman for me but his head ended up being bigger than his body somehow. And then I went Christmas shopping with Naruto and Kanye, and we met this really cool guy that goes to our school now. He just came with that orphanage that just got to Konoha, and it looks like he has the same disease as I do. He has the white hair, white eyes, and the heart problems too! he goes to Dr. Yamato also. Naruto has been spending a lot of time with him. You won't believe how many times they've hit me in the face with snowballs._"

Sasuke's protectiveness peaked at the sound of this. It sounded like Sakamei was spending a lot of time with this guy.

"How long have you known him?" He heard Sakamei hum as she thought about it.

_"Just three days. We only see him outside of school, but I don't think he will be going to Konoha. He's been telling me everything he knows about our eye disorder_."

Sasuke hated that she used to word "our", but he didn't want to upset the girl by calling her out on it. She wasn't implying anything like the jealous side of him was implying.

"_And then I met another guy. He's pretty weird, but...cool. He wants me to help him talk to Naruto for some reason. When i tried to get him to Naruto today, he told me that tomorrow was better. I'm not sure what he has in mind though. He was pretty...flattering. I've met a lot of new people these last few days, haven't I_?"

'_Too many for my liking,_' Sasuke thought as he knew he would have to end their conversation soon.

"You've been just as busy as I have. I want you to enjoy yourself while I'm gone, just not _too _much."

Sakamei laughed, the sound making the boy smile as he awaited her response.

"_Oh please, Sasuke. I won't enjoy my time alone anymore than I do when you're here. Okay?_"

"In fact, I don't want you to enjoy yourself at all."

"_Sasuke_!"

Sasuke smiled at her response, loving the fact that he sounded serious all of the time. "I'm serious. I want you to stay locked up in your room until I return to you. You can't have any fun without me."

"_And you're telling me that you haven't had any fun at all since you've been in Suna_?"

"No." Sasuke didn't hesitate to answer. He wasn't lying completely, as when he found something to hold his attention for the smallest moment he ended up thinking of what Sakamei would think of what he was doing then.

"_You're such a liar!_"

"I am not. You're in my thoughts more than you know."

He could feel Sakamei blushing as he inhaled inaudibly.

"Sasuke! What are you doing in there? Father wants you downstairs now! I swear he's close to choking Suya's daughter because she keeps asking about you!"

Sasuke growled at his brother's voice through the door, smiling when he heard the girl clear her throat.

"_Daughter? Are you sure that you're there for business purposes only?_"

He would enjoy this moment.

"Jealous are we? I never would have expected this from you, Saka _no kimi._" He heard the girl hum in a frustrated way as she shuffled around her room. As she moved around he heard her nearing the sound of rapid, unending knocking on her door.

"_Hi, Naruto-OWW!"_

_"Oh! Sorry, Sakamei! Are you alright?"_

_"What, are you trying to blind me completely?" _Sasuke heard the blonde idiot laugh nervously, seeing the whole scene play out completely in his mind.

"_S-Sorry, Sakamei. Is your eye okay? Maybe my knocking was a little too excited, huh_?" He heard Sakamei snicker.

_What are you doing here-?"_

_"Hi, Sakamei. It's good to see you again."_

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as the unfamiliar voice sounded through the phone. This voice was definitely male.

"Sakamei?"

"_Is that Sasuke? Hi, Sasuke! It's Naruto_!"

So she had him on speaker phone.

_"Hi, Syo-kun. I didn't know you were coming. I-"_

"Sakamei, I'm still waiting. What color are your panties?"

He heard Naruto snort, trying to stop the laugh that threatened to erupt form his throat as Sakamei shrieked, most likely moving away from the boys at her door.

_"I-is he serious?_" he heard Syo ask, smirking in triumph as Sakamei's angry whisper sounded through the phone.

* * *

><p><em>Sakamei was beside herself as she decided not to toss the phone at the wall.<em>

"Are you crazy? I swear you are **so **demented! What would you do if I was near my father or-or my brothers? Mika would cut your frigging head off!"

"_You were ignoring me_."

"What are you, five years old? I swear, are you really crazy or do you just enjoy causing me pain?" He heard Naruto and the other boy's voices nearing, knowing the girl had yet to take him off of speaker phone.

_"Actually, if there would be any pain I would want to cause you, I would have murdered the two guys in your room by now, right?_"

He heard the blonde mumble under his breath and sat up in his bed, pulling his knees up and draping his free arm over it.

_"What was that, dobe?_"

"None of your goddamn business, Sasuke-bastard!"

"_Oh really? Are you that afraid of me?_"

"Say that again bastard! I'll catch the next plane to Suna and kick your ass!"

Sakamei flinched when the phone was taken from her hand, the blonde beginning a full on argument with the uncaring boy on the other line. She looked to Syo, who looked slightly uncomfortable as he watched Naruto.

"What are you two doing here? I wasn't expecting anyone."

He smiled kindly, giving her his full attention. "Naruto_-kun_ invited me to go to the movies with a few of your friends. I haven't met them yet, so Naruto decided to bring me along. The others are supposed to meet here too."

Sakamei frowned, knowing Temari would have told her if they had panned on going out. Maybe she had called while she had been talking to Sasuke.

"Then I should get ready I guess." She moved to her closest and pulled out her snow boots and coat, watching as Naruto failed at coming up with a comeback to Sasuke's quick responses.

"_You're such a dobe._"

"Shut up you-you-_TEME_!"

She sat on her bed once more, slipping into her shoes as Syo smiled, his eyes on the blonde beside him once more. He glanced at her, a light blush gracing his cheeks. It went unnoticed, as Sakamei's attention went to the Naruto as Sasuke's voice repeated her name again and again just to irk Naruto, who was intent on continuing his conversation with the boy.

When she grew tired of the raven repeating her name she rose once more, taking the phone from the angry blonde. She watched the boy lighten up immediately, moving over to Syo once more. He mustn't have been able to talk to his best friend in a while.

"_He finally stopped talking, didn't he?_"

"Shut up, _teme_!"

"_Is that all you know how to say, **Blondie**?_"

"Sasuke, aren't you supposed to be going to dinner with your father and that man's daughter?" She heard Sasuke's small snicker as she slipped into her coat. Naruto and Syo left the room, the blonde telling Syo that the raven had been joking about the underwear and murdering thing, or at least he _thought _that the murdering thing was a joke.

"_They can wait. Besides, I'm sure I would spend the whole night sneaking shots when my mom isn't watching. The sad thing is that I have a high tolerance for alcohol and I might end up getting upset because of that. I think I might even end up jumping off of a ledge because that chick talks so much. Are you happy to know that I'm not interested in any other girls right now-?_"

"Sasuke, shut the hell up! Sakamei's coming to the movies with us. I'm sorry that you haven't had enough time to molest her, but we're busy right now."

Sasuke growled as Temari's voice sounded through the phone. He heard TenTen giggle as the blonde girl continued.

"We all miss you dearly, Sasuke, especially Orochimaru-_sensei, _but we all know that you have somewhere to be. I'll be sure to tell Sakamei that you've been having perverted thoughts about her all day. Hugs and kisses."

* * *

><p>Sakamei watched Temari drop her phone onto the bed, knowing Sasuke was so pissed right now.<p>

"Are you crazy? Do you know how long he'll torture me when he gets back?" Temari only laughed, sitting on the bed as Sakamei grabbed her bag and placed her phone inside, sure that the raven would call sooner or later.

"Oh please, he won't do a thing. Now come on. Haku is waiting downstairs and he's pretty pissed right now. Apparently he had a run in with Zabuza's new boy toy. He is going to fill your ear with his problems, sweetheart."

Sakamei sighed and nodded, knowing that he needed her now more than ever. Apparently the boy that was hanging out with Zabuza had had a crush on the older teen for a while now. He had just been waiting to get close to the Junior when Haku wasn't around.

They descended the stairs and Sakamei was so shocked with what she saw that she froze immediately, TenTen and Temari crashing into her because of her sudden stop.

Haku was clad in black.

Everywhere.

He wore black skinny jeans tucked into his knee high buckle up boots. He wore a black spiked belt loosely around his hips and a leather vest unbuttoned over a long sleeve v-neck shirt. his hair was pulled back into a high, tight ponytail and he was leaning magnanimously coolly against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

Sakamei let out a shaky 'wow', Temari moving up beside her.

"I know, right? He's so hot right now! Too bad he's gay." Sakamei smirked at her friend before moving to the boy.

Haku's brown eyes cast up towards her and he stood straight, appearing ominous as he watched her.

"Hi, Haku. You look...different...but it works well on you-"

The boy grabbed her arm, dragging her out the door as Temari and TenTen followed, laughing at the girl's shock. Since when had Haku been so forceful?

He spun on her immediately, meeting her eye to eye as they were the same height.

"I want you to help me..." His words became mumbles as he looked away, Sakamei frowning as she tried to interpret his words.

"What? I can't hear you." He growled, his fists clenching at his sides.

"I want you to help me find...a boyfriend."

...

The boy's three best friends squealed excitedly, making him groan with regret as they shared their excitement with each other.

"Is that what this new look is for? Are you trying to go for a new type?"

Temari answered Sakamei for the boy. "He's always been into dark guys. You know, wearing black and eye liner and all that crap." Haku sneered.

"Shut up, Temari! I never told you that!"

"I saw the way you used to stare at Gaara, bitch!"

Shut up!"

TenTen and Sakamei shared a look as the two went back and forth, Sakamei getting an idea right away.

"I will help you find a guy from the orphanage Syo came with. Maybe he know someone who's interested in guys."

Haku and Temari stopped, looking to her. Haku smiled ominously, and Sakamei realized that everything he was doing today was ominous.

"How close are you to this Syo guy?"

Sakamei's eyes widened.

"We're only friends! I'm with Sasuke, remember?"

The two smirked and Sakamei rolled her eyes, fighting the urge to chuck something at them.

"Well you're no fun," Temari declared as she and Haku frowned. The boy nodded.

"We were expecting a love triangle or something. I wanted to see Sasuke in action again. Remember when that fourth year grabbed Sakamei-"

"Sasuke was so pissed! I swear I never would have thought that he would have done that! And I bet poor little Shimon felt so helpless too!"

"Are you all finished yet? We'll miss the movie by the time you all are finished." Kiba and Naruto stood annoyed nearby as they waited for the group of friends to finish, Syo, Neji, Shikamaru, Chouji, Gaara, and Hinata waiting behind them.

"We're finished." Sakamei rushed away from her friends, wanting to get as far away from their questions as possible.

_They wouldn't be doing this if Sasuke was here._

__**.**_

_**But he isn't here. He abandoned you and the Christmas you were supposed to spend together for his own future. Remember?**_

_**_.**_

Sakamei sighed, ignoring her thoughts once again as she led her friends down the steps. She had actually spending more time with her friends since Sasuke had left, and she realized that she always had a good time. She spent time with them when she was with Sasuke, but they had been so caught up in each other that they didn't realize anything else going on around them.

Like Kiba's new girlfriend Tora.

Apparently she had been around for two months, she just never got to talk to Sakamei because Sasuke liked to steal her away before she could speak one word to anybody.

She was a pretty girl, and she could fit in with her friends perfectly. She was okay when she was calm, but when she was angry (which was often with Kiba), she was very...violent. She would get along with Sakamei and her friends perfectly.

At the moment she was standing next to her boyfriend, her shoulder length hair held back with a black headband. She had tan skin and brown eyes, making her appear just as tough as she was. She wore brown cargo pants and a camouflage Navy long-sleeved shirt underneath a brown Baby Phat coat. She stood at the same height as Sakamei, and the two of them got along well.

She and Hinata joined the girls and Haku to ride in Temari's black Murcielago Spyder five seater. They were forced to split between three cars because there were so many of them. You wouldn't believe how much money Temari's father spent on her car. Even Sakamei didn't want to know, and her siblings owned cars that were most likely cost more than their house when combined.

It was possible.

* * *

><p>The movie they ended up seeing was the Woman in Black, and Sakamei had already swore that she wouldn't see anymore scary movies after going with Sasuke that first time. Temari had forced her to go of course, and she spent the whole time choking the hell out of Haku. He didn't mind at all because he was so caught up in thinking of ways to murder a man three times his size.<p>

When the movie was over they went to an ice cream parlor, taking up two booths as the genders split once again.

"Dear God, Sakamei your butt is so big! You're taking up most of the booth!"

"What are you talking about! There's plenty of space next to you! And my butt _is not _that big, Temari! Do you enjoy embarrassing me?"

"I want to sit in _this _space! It's more comfortable and I get to see everyone that walks in!"

"I got to the middle first! And anyways, Tora's butt is bigger than mine!"

"I beg to differ! I got to the middle first, Sakamei! And my butt is not that big! Stop pushing me or I'll kick your _big _asses!"

Haku hung his head as he, TenTen, and Hinata waited for the three girl's to sort out their problems. What did it matter if you wanted to sit with your back to the wall anyways?

The three girls finally settled with Sakamei in the middle, though they were all quite squished together. They showed no signs of moving away from each other either.

The waitress, whom, with many other customers, had been watching them the whole time, made her way over when she saw that all of them were settled.

"May I take your order?" She looked a little nervous as if the three girls might snap at her like they did at each other.

Temari had been considering everything on the menu. She put it down, purposely elbowing Sakamei in the side.

"I want a chocolate sundae with every chocolate topping you have. _Every one._" Temari seemed to intimidate every person she didn't know, and they could see the waitress cowering under the other girl's gaze. She lifted her notepad as if trying to hide her face from the girl.

"A-and you?"

Sakamei had been so confused about what she wanted. She didn't notice that the blank look on her face as she looked up at the girl made her seem scarier than she really was. It didn't help that she was peeved off at Temari as she kept elbowing her on "accident".

She had been sitting with her elbows on the table, her head resting on her intertwined fingers as she glared at the girl beside her.

"I want three flavors," she lifted three fingers, seeming to be demanding as she spoke again. "I want banana, cinnamon, and vanilla. I want the vanilla in the middle with caramel and those mini Reese's cups. And then the banana on the left with chocolate syrup on it. That's it. And on the left is the cinnamon with...you have Hot Tamales right?"

The girl had been writing so furiously to keep up with the girl that she ended up jumping when she was posed with a question. Sakamei's eyebrow rose as she looked at the girl. The waitress had just turned red as if she were nervous.

"We don't. But I can get them out the back for you!" She said this quickly, making Temari, Sakamei, and Tora look at her strangely.

"I'll get them right after I finish taking your orders!" Sakamei nodded slowly, allowing the girl to move to Tora. The brunette didn't have to try to look intimidating. Haku swore he could see the girl shaking, but he did not say this. It would only make things worse.

"I want vanilla ice cream with gummy bears, gummy worms, anything you have that's gummy and colorful. Understand? I don't want you to hold out on me."

The waitress nodded quickly, making the confusion the three girls felt grow. She seemed relieved when TenTen, Hinata, and Haku ordered simple sundaes, Haku getting cherry, TenTen getting getting vanilla with cocoa powder, and Hinata getting cotton candy.

When the waitress rushed off, TenTen sighed, looking to the three girls that were glaring at each other.

"Thanks for scaring the waitress away. I bet she'll never want to work here again." They stopped their glaring fest to look at the girl, different colored eyebrows raised.

"How did we scare her away? We didn't even do anything." TenTen shook her head at Tora as Haku explained.

"Temari, you practically threatened her as if you would murder the girl if she forgot a chocolate topping."

"Well...I like chocolate," was the girl's simple reply as Haku continued.

"Sakamei, you're such a neat freak that you had the girl separate the ice cream in the places you wanted."

Said girl smiled sheepishly, avoiding eye contact with the boy.

"I like my food to be neat," she whined, making the smirk as he looked to Tora. She waited with her arms crossed over her chest for the boy's response.

"And you, you just intimidate people with everything you do."

Tora smirked, refusing to respond to the boy as the waitress returned with their ice cream. She served the blonde, brunette, and white-haired girl first of course, and then the other three. When Sakamei thanked her she jumped, smiling nervously as she said 'you're welcome' and quickly walked away.

Hinata smiled at the girls as they realized that Haku and TenTen had told the truth. They did not admit it though. They would never admit it.

"So, Tora...what's it like having Kiba as a boyfriend-?"

"Forget it."

Temari huffed as she played with the Oreos on her ice cream, looking to the girl that was trying to get as many gummy bears onto her spoon of ice cream as she could.

"I just wanna know if he's a good kisser...or if you've done anything more than that." Tora glared at the blond before looking to Sakamei. She avoided eye contact with the girl altogether and this made Tora smirk.

"What about you, Sakamei? What do you and Sasuke do when you're alone?" Sakamei pressed her lips together, fighting the nervous smile that threatened to show itself. Tomorrow, December 18, would be the day where their relationship would stretch to being six months (A/N: I haven't been keeping track. Let's just say six months, 'kay?) long.

"Oh nothing. Just what normal couples do."

"But you're not normal. You're still a virgin." Sakamei glared at Temari as Tora laughed.

"You are? How sweet! Are you waiting until you're married or is Sasuke going to be the one?" Sakamei frowned.

"I haven't been around guys since grade school like you all, you know. Sasuke is the first guy I've ever been with. Of course I'm still a virgin, unlike you whores."

TenTen, Temari, and Tora scoffed, Haku laughing at their audacity to be shocked.

"The only virgins at this table are Hinata and I. Right, Hinata? You've been saving yourself for Naruto, right?"

The dark haired girl turned redder than ever when Sakamei said this. She had gotten through enough of their perverted talks, yet she couldn't seem to stay away from them.

Before the girl could even deny Sakamei's accusations Naruto came over to the table.

"We're about ready to leave. Where do you guys wanna go now? I know! Let's go to Hinata's house! You have a hot tub, don't you?"

Hinata smiled nervously at the blonde. "I-I do, Naruto-_kun. _I don't think that my father would mind if we used it. I could call now." Naruto smiled at the girl.

"Thanks, Hinata! You're awesome! I'll go tell the guys." The boy turned and left and Temari laughed at Hinata.

"Naruto gets to see Hinata in a bikini." This made the Hyuga girl shriek quietly as she held the phone to her ear. They all laughed at this, and even Hinata smiled.

If only the time she spent with Sakura and Ino could be as entertaining as this.

"Okay, now let's talk about Hinata's crush on Naruto on the way there."

Then again, talking about shoes was much easier than this.

* * *

><p>I hate when people make Hinata stutter on every word in their fanfics. She does not stutter that much!<p> 


	28. A Secret Best Let Out

I'M BACK! Did you care? I wouldn't know because you don't review! Please do. I'm bored to death.

I've just been lazy. That's my excuse for not writing.

I'm kinda slow so I didn't realize that you can see how many views your story got (Could you always do that?) and I was happy to see that Siryoku got a lot more views than I would have thought!

Siryoku:2,372

Hymn For the Missing: 26 (There aren't many Shino fans, huh? I'm making a SASU 1!)

Sanctuary: 350 (Getting there)

Missing: 134 (Okay I guess)

Siryoku is doing awesome! Most popular chapters are:

1:413

2:139

3:117

6:111

4:101

7:100

5:95

8 & 9:91

I also noticed that more people read on Fridays too. I wonder why...

I just wish I could get a review -_- Just say hi!

...Wait! Will you die if you review? Is that why you won't do it? OMG! NO!

I've also noticed I haven't made Sasu say "Hn" at all in my stories. Oh, and I haven't forgotten about the ball thingy. I just haven't mentioned the practices. Let's say they've continued without them being in the story. Also, since chapter 18 is all locked up on a freaked up laptop, how about I make what happened with Shimon a flash back? It won't be word for word, but it'll be as close as I can remember. Just remember that Sakamei was tutoring the boy after he asked her to, and also remember the way Sasuke claimed he couldn't "protect" Sakamei from the fourth years.

Wanna find out what's wrong with Sasuke? Keep reading.

* * *

><p>Merry Christmas (Even though it's Summer)<p>

Two days after they had gone to Hinata's house had been very eventful. Temari had "accidentally" pushed Hinata into the pool and on top of a half naked Naruto who had been floating on a pool lounger, which ended with the boy and girl turning beet red after clinging to each other when they came up for air. A very nervous Naruto had finally managed to gain enough courage to ask the girl out, and an even more nervous Hinata had accepted after passing out twice in the pool.

But now Sakamei was at a loss for words at the boxes that had been delivered to her that morning to her house. She had been surprised when her brother had come into her bedroom while she had been blow drying her hair to give her the two that had arrived. She had been too nervous to open it that afternoon, so now it was twelve and she was still nervous about looking inside.

They were made covered in a silk-like material striped red and gold, and written in golden cursive was a brand she had never heard of before called _Mon Amour, _and there were three boxes of various sizes. One was about a yard long and a foot and a half wide. It was an inch thick. a shoe box sized box was on top of it, and on top of that sat four smaller boxes. She then noticed the red envelope attached to it. She pulled it off, opening it up and recognizing the beautiful cursive script immediately.

_I've heard that you need a dress for the Hyuuga ball. I wish I could have given this to you in person, but I believe that I might have never let you wear it because you were Shika's partner, not mine. I got from a new store that just opened in Suna. They ask for a picture of whomever the outfit is for and go on to make a complete outfit for that person according to skin, hair, and eyes for quite a fee. I plan on buying you an entire wardrobe from this store one day., as I know this dress will fit you perfectly. Luckily, it's your favorite color too. Just promise that you'll wear it for me when you have the chance._

_-Sasu_

Sakamei knew that he must have been in a good mood when he sent this. Otherwise he would have never written 'Sasu' at all. Apparently he didn't like when she called him that when people could hear.

She opened the largest box first, moving the others off of it and slowly removing the lid. She gasped at what she saw. She pulled the dress out, looking at the dark, deep purple fabric.

It was a strapless empire silhouette gown made from beautiful silk, the chest of the dress separated from the high-waisted skirt by a silver wave like banning, filled with three karat square cut amethysts and diamonds, though she had never been able to tell if they were real or not. The skirt was layered and there was a slit going up the right side, stopping where her waist would be. In the box were black tight, disconnected sleeves with deep purple lace winding around them, and beside them a black and deep purple lace garter for her thigh. She tried on the dress, finding that it fit her perfectly. Sasuke had never asked her size before. She blushed at the thought of wearing the gown, and placed it gently back inside its box, moving to the shoe box. Inside were deep purple open toed stilettos. The lace straps were about an inch thick, most likely tying into a bow above her ankle. The bottoms of the shoes were black, and there was a line of black going down the middle of the straps of the shoes. There were five bottles of nail polish: clear, black, deep purple, and black glitter and deep purple polish connected to a professional design pen. She had always wanted one and was glad that she had gotten the chance to wear them. She carefully placed her shoes back inside, moving to the smaller three and opening them all.

Her hands flew to her mouth as she gasped, her eyes tearing at the sight of the jewelry. The necklace was a silver and consisted of a long chain and the pendant being two snake line tails winding to form a hear, a amethyst set in-between the two strands. The second necklace was a black choker, a pattern of amethysts and diamonds set into it. In another box was a set of bracelets made from silver, consisting of two winding strands, small diamonds and amethysts set where the strands separated. There was one for each arm and she knew that they would fit perfectly. In the next box was a earrings and a set of rings. She knew they were toe rings, which she had always wondered about wearing after finding that Temari liked them so much. Next to them were chandelier earrings made from more diamonds and amethysts. there were also four one karat princess cut studs for the four piercings she had gotten going along her right ear. No one had really noticed them, as she always kept her silver balls in her ear and her hair often covered it.

She gently placed everything in their boxes neatly, setting them on the windowsill in her room before moving to her bed, taking out her cell phone and dialing Sasuke. It rang several times before he answered.

* * *

><p>Sasuke's eyes opened slowly as the sound of his phone ringing woke him up. He lifted it from the nightstand, seeing the name and sliding the answering arrow over immediately. He sat up and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and pointed finger, leaning against the pillows behind him.<p>

* * *

><p>"<em>Hn.<em>" She knew he would have never answered that way if he had looked at the caller ID. She looked to her clock, seeing it was twelve. Suna's time was two hours ahead. That's why he had answered that way. She had woken him up. She frowned, knowing she should have called earlier.

"Sasu, I got what you sent me," she said quietly, pulling her legs to her chest as she held the phone to her ear. She heard the boy stifle a yawn as his bed sounded beneath him, the boy probably sitting up slightly.

"Do you like it?" Sakamei bit her lip, unconsciously running her finger over her collarbone.

"I love it, Sasuke. It's beautiful. The dress is perfect and fits perfectly too, and the jewelry, Sasu-"

"It's all real. I told you it cost quite a lot in the note, didn't I? It just proves that you'll look even more beautiful on Christmas Eve, baby." Sakamei had forgotten that the ball was on Christmas Eve. She had gotten so used to practicing that she had thought it part of her normal routine.

"I wish you could have gone. We could have had so much fun together, right?" Sasuke snickered, causing her to frown.

"I don't think dancing with Sakura would be very fun, but the fact that I would have been able to dance with you after the performance would have been fun. Just make sure no guy touches you unless you're dancing, and when you're dancing make sure you're five inches apart." Sakamei laughed, lying beneath her blanket. She took the remote from her night stand, dimming the lights as low as she could get them without turning them off all the way.

"I promise. Shika will probably be the only guy I'll dance with. I've only danced with you once before, but not like that." She smiled at the thought of ballroom dancing with Sasuke. He seemed like he was pretty light on his feet, and she couldn't help but watch as he led Sakura around the practice room. Shika was an amazing dancer also, but she couldn't help but watch them.

"I thought you enjoyed dancing with Shika. You looked pretty content being his partner." Sakamei smiled, pulling the blanket over her shoulder as she folded into herself.

"I like dancing with Shika, but he's not the one I like-like," she said, blushing at how childish she sounded when she said that. Sasuke chuckled at that.

"I like-like you to, Saka _no kimi_. Now tell me...what are you wearing?" Sakamei laughed, knowing the raven was smiling on the other line. She decided to humor him.

"Oh, it's very sexy. It's a pair of basketball shorts, a huge t-shirt and a pair of socks." She smiled when Sasuke spoke.

"Do you have a pair of sneaker to go with that?" Sakamei laughed once more, rubbing at her eyes as she let out a yawn.

"Oh! Naruto finally asked Hinata out. Can you believe it? When's the last time you've talked to Naru anyway?" She ran her fingers through her hair.

"I talked to him yesterday, but he didn't say anything about that. What the hell is his problem?" Sakamei smirked.

"Gee, I don't know. Maybe its the fact that you enjoy making fun of the blonde. Or maybe he's just nervous about it, though I think it's the first thing." She could feel Sasuke smirking.

"I think you're right. In fact, I should make fun of him more. I'll do that once I get home, after I take care of you." Sakamei felt herself blush at the thought.

"I can't wait till you get back, Sasuke. You'll be back before I have to see my new doctor, right?" Sasuke could hear the worry in her voice.

"Of course I'll be there for you." Sasuke did nothing to cover the yawn. "Tell me something."

Sakamei was used to this now. She had been confused the first time he told her this when they had began going out, but now it only came natural to respond.

"I've never told you or my friends that my mom died."

She waited for Sasuke to say something, anything about her keeping something like that from him, but he said nothing.

"I had been a little girl, but my memory was strangely in tact when I was younger. I remembered things I shouldn't. My mom had been born with the same disorder that I have, and she was prescribed the same medicine I had to take, the one that made you upset with me. She said it was killing her slowly, but my father didn't believe her. He used to sit with her until she would take the medicine." Sakamei pressed her lips as Sasuke mumbled for her to continue. "But she started making herself gag until she puked them up. My mom, she didn't like to leave me for a minute because she thought I would get lost or hurt myself or something. I was born blind you know? But I knew what she did because I could tell she was doing something wrong. I could hear her gagging, and I didn't know what to do. I remember I had cried. That was all I could think of to do. I thought she was hurting herself, but she was in a way. She thought my father was trying to kill her. I hadn't known then, but my father was having an affair with my mother's doctor. She...she knew and she didn't want to confront him. She kept me away from him, and he knew something was going on. My mother then found a new way to get out of taking the pills. My father started counting her pills when she said she would take them herself. She would put two down the drain, and when her father would come to count them he would leave satisfied. My mother kept me in her bedroom with her, and if he spoke to me she would hold me, do anything to keep him from taking me away. My father noticed too and he gave her space. Soon they stopped taking altogether. He still counted her pills and took her to the doctor, but they didn't talk anymore. It was painful. My siblings were oblivious to what was going on because they were so caught up in their own lives...Sasuke?"

"I'm still here." She licked her lips, continuing.

"My mom had a panic attack one night, and she was unconscious for a month. I had been five at the time, and I remembered hearing my dad on the phone one time. He had told the doctor that he couldn't see her anymore. After that he had been by my mom's side for as long as he could. My mom, she was losing her vision. She had been for a while, but she could barely see at all. She and my dad rebuilt their relationship after that. My family was normal again, and things were okay. So my mom went back to performing. She had a really beautiful voice, Sasuke. When I was sick or I had to stay in the hospital overnight she would sing to me and I would feel better immediately. I used to feel like everything was okay and my mom wasn't going to die and that the same thing wouldn't end up happening to me. I'm afraid it might happen to me too, that I won't live to be older than thirty." She could feel her voice rising and tears filling her eyes. She had admitted her biggest fear.

"Sakamei...I don't know what, but I'll make sure that I keep you safe. I'll pay for the best doctors I can find, I just don't want you to think that you won't live past thirty. I'm a Uchiha, Sakamei. I get what I want, and if one of those things is having you as my wife and the mother of my 7.5 children before I reach thirty five, I'll get that. I'll take care of you, Sakamei." Sakamei laughed wiping at her tears as Sasuke's words had yet to register in her weary mind. She noticed how tired he sounded. She should really let him sleep.

"You would take care of me? I would take care of you too, even if you don't want to admit that I will. I can't so as much as you can do for me, but I'll be by your side without a doubt. I'd do all I can to make you as happy as you make me, and I'd do everything I can to show you how much I care. And I...I love you, Sasuke."

She had said it. She had finally managed to tell him how she felt. She felt a weight lift from her chest as she waited.

There was no answer.

Sakamei listened closely, hearing the slow even breathing of her boyfriend on the line. He had fallen asleep. The weight of her words was upon her once more, and she realized that it had happened on purpose. She wasn't supposed to tell him over the phone.

"Oh, God, why are you doing this to me?" She buried her face in her pillow and groaned. Sasuke had fallen asleep on her. The bastard was asleep!

"_Ne,_ Sakamei...?" She froze, putting her phone to her ear.

"Yeah?" Had he heard her? Had he actually heard what she had just said?

"If I fall a sleep on you, it's because I don't want to say goodnight." She opened her mouth to speak but closed it once more. She should wait. She still couldn't tell him yet. She would tell him when he returned.

"Okay, Sasuke." There was no response.

She turned her light off, her phone still to her ear as Sasuke's soft breathing lulled her to sleep.

* * *

><p>Sasuke woke up the next to the sound of a dial tone. Had he fallen asleep on the phone?<p>

...

"Sakamei!"

He lifted the phone, dialing her number once more before the time in the top right corner of the screen caught his attention. 7:37...She was in school now. (A/N: In Japan, students don't get out of school for Christmas break until the 23 of December and come back January 7) He couldn't call her now.

He sighed, laying back on his bed once more. What would he do now? He didn't have to go to any meetings until noon...He could go finish wrapping up his presents for his friends...If he could manage to control the tape. Or he could go out and get coffee. Coffee was good.

The Uchiha showered and dressed in jeans, a v-neck sweater, and Timberland boots. Suna wasn't as cold as Konoha was at the moment, but cool enough to wear long clothing. He slid his phone into his pocket before he placed his laptop and leather covered notebook into his sling bag, dropping it onto his shoulder before grabbing his keys and moving to the door.

He moved down the long hall towards the elevator, ignoring the other people in the hall. Once he stepped out into the lobby a voice he loathed filled his ears, and its owner was barreling towards him.

"Sasu-_kun_! You're awake! Are you going out?" He thought it was obvious as he still had his keys in hand, but with a glance towards his father he knew the man would not be happy if he upset the girl.

"Coffee," he said dully, continuing towards the exit as the girl trailed along.

"Really? I was going too! Maybe we could go together." She smiled, gripping his arm and keeping pace. He groaned inwardly, looking down at the girl. She had straight red hair, brown eyes, and a boyish figure in a brown skirt suit. She was always happy, when she got her way, and she knew how to annoy the hell out of Sasuke. Tayuya was made to bother the Uchiha.

Sasuke said nothing as he unlocked the doors to the rented Bentley Continental GT and the girl climbed into the passenger seat. She continued to talk the whole way there, and Sasuke's responses to what he thought were questions were 'Hn's, which only caused the girl to continue.

When they reached the coffee shop Sasuke ignored the girl completely. Even as they sat at the table he sipped his coffee quietly and went through the things he had written. He wanted to be sure he remembered everything without missing a thing. The list would get longer, but remembering them would only make things better for them.

A small, barely noticeable smile found its way to his lips and he felt his breathing slowing as he thought of the one person he would be away from until next year. Being away from Sakamei was painful, but-

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder, so a long distance relationship between us wouldn't be so bad. Right, Sasu-_kun_?" He slowly looked up at the girl.

"Don't call me Sasu...only she can..." Her words registered in his mind. _'Distance makes the heart grow fonder...'_. That was what was happening between him and Sakamei. Maybe him being away would cause Sakamei's feelings for him to increase...would cause her to finally admit that she loved him-

Sasuke's hand moved to his chest, realizing too late that his heartbeat was much too slow. He turned, inhaling and exhaling audibly slow as he grabbed his bag, pulling out the large white bottle of pills.

"Sasuke, are you okay?" Tayuya rose form her seat, beginning to move to his side.

"_Water,_" He breathed, causing the girl to rush back to the bar. He opened the bottle with shaky hands, many spilling to the table as he tried to pour two into his hand. He managed to keep the last two from spilling from his hand as Tayuya returned from the bar, setting a glass before him. He quickly tossed the pills into his mouth, swallowing them down with his water. God, how could he forget? When was the last time he took his pills?

He felt his breathing come even slower as people began questioning Tayuya, asking him if he was okay. The girl was panicked as she collected the spilt pills, putting them back in the bottle. Sasuke realized his medicine wouldn't take effect anytime soon. He dropped his head to the table, feeling weaker each second.

"Sasuke! Sasuke, what do I do? Tell me what to do!" He could barely speak. What if he went into cardiac arrest again?

"...Itachi..."

The girl's eyes widened before she lifted his phone. He heard the sound of an ambulance just as darkness over took him

* * *

><p>Sasuke's eyes blinked open as he took in the sterile, white room, the shrilling sound of a cell phone ringing bringing him out of his dreamless sleep.<p>

"You know, taking your medicine when you need it won't work every time, _Imouto_." Sasuke rose on his elbows and looked to Itachi, who was sitting beside his hospital bed. The mishap that had brought him here came back to him and he lie back once more, sighing heavily.

"How long have I been here?" Itachi rolled his neck, rubbing his shoulder.

"About...a day. I've been sitting here for an hour. I had a feeling you would wake up soon, especially when you realized how upset your girlfriend is. You've had twelve missed calls from her, and I don't think she's sane right now. Sakamei must be worried sick." Sasuke then realized the ringing had stopped. Itachi picked up the phone, looking at the missed call. "Make that thirteen."

Sasuke accepted the phone, dialing Sakamei's number from memory. He put the phone to his ear, looking to his older brother. "Thank you, Itachi...but don't tell Sakamei." Itachi rose, a small smile finding its way to his lips.

"I won't...unless you don't tell her yourself. I mean, its not everyday that you date someone with arrhythmia. Just like its not normal to date someone with a disorder that she has. Just make sure you tell her before this happens again." Itachi left the room just as Sakamei answered, leaving the two of them to themselves.

"Sasuke, are you okay? I've been calling since yesterday. Did something happen?" She sounded genuinely worried, and Sasuke felt his heart tug a little. That or the temporary pace maker he was connected to didn't like all of his movements.

"I'm fine," he lied, "I just lost track of my phone and didn't find it until now. How are you?" He would do anything to get the topic off of him. He felt like he might blurt out what happened instead waiting to do it in person. It wouldn't be easy to get an angry Sakamei to listen to him when he tries to explain why he hadn't told her sooner after he found out what was wrong with her.

"I'm okay. Just nervous. The ball is in three days. I'm glad they moved it back to Christmas day, but...What if I mess up? Or I lose my voice before I have to sing? I might forget the words to the song! I don't even remember what song I'm singing-!"

"Unmei no Hito, Sakamei. Don't panic now. You still have two days. There's no reason to get so worked up now." Sasuke smirked. "But then again, maybe you'll be less nervous if you stress now."

"Maybe you're right, _teme._ You're lucky though. We have a test in Algebra II today, and I haven't been able to borrow anyone's notes that were good enough for me to understand. I guess no one actually cares about it now. You'll have a lot fun catching up," she said sarcastically. Sasuke looked at the time. She was at lunch now. He was surprised Temari hadn't yanked the phone out of her hand and hung up in his face yet.

"And don't worry. Temari's a little preoccupied with a Nara boy who just happened to ask her out. All of our friends will be dating in no time." Sasuke rubbed at his eyes.

"Shika finally gave in? What are they doing anyway?" Sakamei laughed once she asked someone beside her what they were doing.

"Apparently Temari thinks someone bribed Shikamaru to ask her out or something. She's interrogating him in a corner of the cafeteria...And she's coming this way now. Oh! She sees the phone. She does not look happy about it either. I bet she's all happy inside about her date with Shika-Talk to you later, Bye-!"

Sasuke found himself smiling as he dropped his phone, the thought of Sakamei making his stay at the hospital less hectic. At least for now.

* * *

><p>"Okay. Let me get this straight. You, after five months (I think), finally tell Sasuke, the egocentric bastard, that you love him, only to find out that he had fallen asleep? You can't be serious!"<p>

Sakamei bit her lip as Temari shrilled at her. A few people at the tables just happened to hear and she couldn't help but blush. "Well, thanks for being discreet, Tema." She pushed her hair over her shoulder, ignoring the fact that her best friend had just given out valuable information for both her and Sasuke. "I had called super late. It was two in Suna and he had been woken up. I know he's been working non-stop to please his dad and I know for sure that I would fall asleep on him too if he had called me that late."

Temari smirked. "You've said that he's called you at three in the morning regardless of the fact that we have important tests the next day or stuff like that. Have you fallen asleep on him?" Sakamei winced.

"No, but it doesn't matter! Sasuke gets up early and he probably falls asleep late too. Maybe he had the day to sleep in and he had just fallen asleep. Anything could have happened. And you hung up on him when I haven't talked to him in a day!" Temari rolled her eyes.

"Well, you talked to him enough. I need you guys to come over after school to help me pick out an outfit for the movies Friday night." TenTen raised an eyebrow.

"Why all of us?" Temari shook her head.

"Uh, pretty obvious things really. I don't want Sakamei making me look like a fucking princess, I don't want you making me look like a flaming lesbo, and I definitely don't want Haku making me look like a uke with tits." Sakamei smiled, the other two rolling their eyes at the blonde. As Temari and the others talked about other things, Sakamei looked around the room, feeling as if she was being watched the entire time.

Her eyes fell on the first year tables. She scanned them, looking for anyone who was looking her eyes. The person she found watching her made her breath catch.

Shimon looked away quickly, a blush on his cheeks as he returned his attention back to his friends. She hadn't thought about him in a while. She wondered if he would pass his exams and get moved up to their grade next school year. She hadn't spoken to him at all, and he had done all he could to avoid her, especially when Sasuke was around. She remembered the last time she had spoken to him.

_*Flashback*_

_Sakamei wasn't feeling very well. She had had trouble breathing that day, and even though her father suggested that she stay home, she had agreed to meet Shimon in the library to tutor him. Shimon looked completely frustrated. He was having trouble deciphering the poem "Crow's Fall". She understood completely. It was a very difficult poem to understand. She used the tissue she held to check her nose. She had gotten a nose bleed this morning, and she knew that wasn't a good sign. She doubted she would feel better anytime soon.  
><em>

_"This is impossible! How am I supposed to understand what this whack job is trying to say?" Shimon threw his pencil down, glaring down at the poetry book. Sakamei began to rise, offering a smile even though she felt she might fall over.  
><em>

_"It's okay, Shimon. Here, let me-"  
><em>

_"It's not okay! Stop saying that!" She stopped her eyes wide as he rose, anger fully visible in his eyes. She could tell it wasn't aimed towards her, but it still hurt that he would take it out on her. "Everything is **not **okay! My parents are disappointed in me, my friends think I don't want to be around them anymore, and people think I'm weak just because I couldn't stand up to three guys at the same time! It's not my fault that I'm not your crazy boyfriend that gets into fights every day of my life!" Sakamei looked down at her hands, unconsciously ringing her tissue in her hand.  
><em>

_"Sasuke's not my boyfriend," was all she said. What else could she say? 'People don't think that you're weak, they just think that you can't fight.' or 'Your parents aren't disappointed. I may not know them, but I'm sure they wouldn't care if you dropped out of high school!.' She had no responses for him, so she only gave the response she could muster.  
><em>

_He had barely heard her, but it didn't matter at all. "Sure he isn't. He just wants to be your friend. He wants nothing from you at all! He most really care about you since you're so 'beautiful', just like all the other guys. I haven't seen him stand up for any other girl other than his girlfriend since I've been here. It's obvious he's only around you because you're so naive and he can get whatever he wants from you!" Sakamei winced, opening her mouth to say something, but no words formed and she closed her mouth once more. Shimon sighed heavily. "Just stay away. I don't need your help anymore." He began packing his things, leaving Sakamei to try to think of something, anything to say.  
><em>

_"I thought you were my friend."  
><em>

_Shimon stopped as he lifted his bag onto his shoulders, looking up at the distraught girl. Her fists were clenched at her sides and her head lowered. She was holding back tears, and he felt guilty right away. Her voice was still strong, even though her appearance was not.  
><em>

_"But if you would say something like that to me then it's obvious that I mean nothing to you at all! Even if it is true, I refuse to believe that the first friends I've ever had are using me. I know for a fact that Naruto is my friend because he told me himself when Sasuke told me he wasn't. And Temari and Haku and TenTen, they've been with me since my first day in Konoha High. They're my best friends and I refuse to believe that they don't care about me at all. And Shika and Kiba and the others, they've never done anything in any way to make me think that they don't care about me. The only person that has ever made me think that they were using me was you, Shimon."  
><em>

_She should stop now. She was feeling lightheaded. But she couldn't.  
><em>

_"I thought it would be nice to have a friend my age that was in the same grade, and I thought it would be fun having a new friend to join m group of friends, but you think that just because Sasuke is a jerk to you that you can claim that he's using me to? Sasuke...he's been cruel to me once before, but he apologized. He regretted everything that he said, and his apology meant a lot to me. I forgave him and he still wants to be my friend. Even if you are telling the truth and he is just using me, I have other friends that care about me too."  
><em>

_Shimon's eyes widened as he realized for the first time that Sakamei didn't appear well at all. She looked paler than usual, and she didn't have the warm glow about her that drew people to her instantly. Instead it was replaced with a dull, sickly appearance that he didn't like to see on her at all. She needed to get home. He had overreacted and it only seemed to fair worse for her.  
><em>

_"Sakamei...you need to get home. You don't look that well." She lifted the tissue to her nose, checking for blood once more. Shimon hadn't notice what she was doing until he saw the small amount of red on the tissue. "Can you call home?" She did not answer, only pulling out her phone and calling one of her brothers. He waited outside with her, the both of them silent as they waited for their rides.  
><em>

_"I forgive you."  
><em>

_Shimon looked at Sakamei for the first time since they had been waiting. She looked straight ahead, so still and calm, despite her sick appearance.  
><em>

_"I forgive you for what you said, if you hadn't meant it. But I know you didn't because you just wanted someone to feel as bad as you do right now. But there's no need to do that because I feel as bad as you do. Physically. I just worry about you. I don't want you to stress yourself too much." She had been holding tissue to her nose for a while now, and she was doing all she could to keep from drawing attention, but she looked to sick to go unnoticed. When she threw one tissue away and rushed to get another people passing by would ask if she was okay. She would give a slight nod before the people moved away, watching her until she was out of sight. Even people who didn't know her felt bad for how fragile she looked. A white sports car stopped before them, Sakamei beginning to move forward.  
><em>

_"Sakamei...I'm sorry. I really am. You don't worry about me anymore. I'll still try my hardest to get moved up a grade next year." She watched the boy before nodding, turning and moving to the car once more. She hadn't spoken to him since.  
><em>

The feeling of being watched did not go away as Sakamei moved back to her table with her friends, her eyes darting around the room to find out who the person was. Her eyes fell on Syo, who blushed at being caught before smiling sweetly and waving. She returned his smile and waved, watching the boy go out of her sight before she sat at her table once more. He had found his group of friends quickly, though he still hung around Naruto and the others. His friends were mostly the other orphans his age and a few other boys from Konoha. Many had thought that they were related the first few days, but they had both denied. Then others began to have other ideas. She knew Sasuke wouldn't be happy if he found out that a lot of people in the school thought that they would be a cute couple.

She blushed in embarrassment about what Sasuke would try to do to Syo if he found out. Poor, poor Syo.

"What are you blushing about, Snow White?" Sakamei snapped out of her thoughts right away as Temari tapped the table before her. She shook her head.

"You know the rumor that's been going around?" She thought she would have to go into more detail, but Temari and the others were in tune immediately.

"You mean the one about you and Syo being a cute couple?" Temari dropped her greasy pizza back onto her plate. "Are you fantasizing about Syo?" Sakamei shook her head fiercely, blushing once more.

"No! No! I was just worried about what Sasuke would do if he found out!" Temari lifted her pizza once more, shrugging.

"He'd probably break every bone in Syo's arm and then murder every person that thinks the same thing and then-"

"That's not making things better, Tema!" Sakamei doubted the last thing, but she was sure Sasuke would break something of Syo's, even if the boy had nothing to do with it. Temari huffed, biting into her pizza before wiping her hands on her napkin.

"You act too pretty! Stop looking so innocent and maybe less guys will be so into you! Seriously, guys love the innocent little girl that doesn't understand that they just wanna get in their pants. Have you ever cursed before?" Sakamei blushed.

"I've called Sasuke a bastard before-"

"Yeah-no. that's not cursing. Call me a bitch. I wanna hear it." Temari beckoned her with her fingers, doing a little dance in her chair.

"I...can't." Temari sighed, going back to her food.

"I guess you're right. You just have to be lil' ole Titsy McGee: The innocent girl boys love to love!"

* * *

><p>Sakamei watched Mika silently, the boy sitting in the living room as he always did: sitting Indian style and his arms crossed over his chest with his katana in the crook of his arms.<p>

She had been sitting here for twenty minutes, and the boy had had enough of being stared down by his baby sister.

"Sakamei-"

"PLEASE! You're my only hope! Everyone else is busy and this is an emergency!" Jux smirked as he passed the doorway, his keys in hand as he left to meet Itachi and the two girls he had been convinced to "keep company" while Hidan and Kakuzu worked late. Since Itachi hadn't been able to get the girls to leave (he had no idea why Hidan and Kakuzu had invited them to the Uchiha house in the first place), he had asked Jux to help him. He had asked before his sister had asked for his help, so he was unable to oblige.

As he left the house in his white Lamborghini Aventador Sakamei continued to beg Mika, who was growing irritated by the moment.

Next came Krix, who was singing _"Mary Had A Little Lamb"_ as he slowly walked down the hall, sounding as childish as he acted. He stopped in the doorway of the living room, seeing his sister begging the brother he loved to bother. He snuck in, sitting beside Mika on his knees just as Sakamei was. He wrapped his arms around Mika and began Sakamei's chant.

"PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! PRETTY PLEASE! Oh, PLEASE, _NII-SAN_! I THOUGH YOU LOVED ME!"

Mika's eyes were still closed, so he hadn't noticed that it was Krix who had joined in. He was too caught up in their words to pay attention. He also didn't notice that Sakamei had stopped, trying not to laugh as Krix took her place.

"Not now, Sakamei! Sakamei already asked me to-" Mika's eyes shot open and he looked to his younger brother, who released him and smiled sweetly, letting out a small laugh.

"Krix...I'm going to MURDER you!" The boy was out of the door in an instant. They heard his lime green Lamborghini Gallardo rev to life and speed out of the gated community (Sakamei's family is into Lamborghinis). Sakamei still couldn't believe that he had a girlfriend. Maybe she thought he was cute.

"You'll take me?" Sakamei asked excitedly as her brother rose, sighing.

"Yeah, yeah. Go get ready." She hugged her brother before rushing up the stairs.

"Since when has buying a pair of shoes an emergency?" He called after her up the stairs. As he waited both Mato and Toph descended the stairs.

Mato was dressed normally, wearing a button down shirt and slacks, though he wasn't wearing his apron. he had been dating a girl that worked in the flower shop he bought his seeds and tools from. Sakamei had met her the last time she had gone to the shop with her brother, and she was pretty with dark blue hair and blue eyes, but she had the same calm, happy demeanor Mato had. They were perfect for each other.

Toph was dressed very pretty. She wore an aqua long sleeved wrap around dress and held the matching strap up heels in hand. She was still dating Deidara, and she really _really _loved that guy. She couldn't get enough of him. They went out four times a week, and when they weren't together Toph would talk about him all the time. Deidara made her laugh and she _loved _to laugh. She was super happy when she was with Deidara, not to mention that she wasn't around to embarrass her much in front of her friends.

Mato had a girlfriend, but she was just as ill-tempered and just as much as a longer as he was. She came around every once in a while. She was super beautiful, with her inky black hair and peach skin and dark red lipstick she always wore with her dark clothes. Sakamei loved being around her. She gave great advice, let her borrow her clothes, and she had taught her thousands of hairstyles. Apparently she and Mato had this thing where they broke up for a week to make their relationship seem "new" once they got back together. They were a cute couple of weirdos.

Sakamei came back downstairs with her bag and shoes in hand, slipping them on when she stepped into genkan. "Now we just have to pick up Temari and TenTen and we can head to the Shopping Community. I can't believe Temari forgot her shoes-"

"You didn't say they had to come too." Sakamei looked up at her brother nervously.

"Well, Sasuke sent me everything I needed with my dress, so it's just Temari that needs her shoes. Pretty please, nii-san."

He smirked, leading his sister out of the door and back towards his Lamborghini Reventon.

* * *

><p>It took two hours for Temari to find a pair of heels to go with her dress, which pissed Mika off after he was shown a picture of it. I couldn't have been that hard to find a pair of shoes to go with it. It wasn't very hard to compare shoes with!<p>

Sakamei had thanked her brother profusely after he left the girls at Haku's house, and he had been so pissed that he sped off as soon as his sister released him from the hug she held him in through the driver side window. She only shook it off, knowing he would do it again if he had.

She spent most of her time talking about the ball tomorrow with her friends and how nervous they all were. They had a feeling that they would mess up the choreography or run into one another, and for some reason Sakamei had feeling that she would fall off the stage. When she told her friends Temari only teased her, promising she would be the one to push her off. It actually made her feel better. She knew she could count on her friends to be there for her.

* * *

><p>Christmas Eve came around quickly, and as she moved through the Shopping Community and trekked through two feet of snow, Sakamei knew she was forgetting something.<p>

Naruto rushed to keep up with her, wondering what was causing her to be so quiet. "What's wrong, Saka-"

He nearly bumped into her when she came to an abrupt halt, the people on the sidewalk moving around them. Naruto blushed when he heard an elderly woman telling her husband to "look at the cute young couple over there". Sakamei didn't seem to notice as she turned quickly, facing Naruto.

"I-I forgot to get Sasuke's last gift out of layaway!" She began pacing, casing Naruto to look at her with wide eyes. "I though I wouldn't be able to take care of it if I got it then, but now I-oh, I think that the store might be closed." Naruto pulled his phone from his pocket, looking at the touch screen.

"Well, what time does it close? I don't think panicking before you know if it's open would help." Sakamei relayed things to her mind.

"Um, seven! It closes at seven!" Naruto bit his lip.

"It's 6:43. Maybe we can get there in time." Sakamei nodded, gripping the blonde's wrist and racing through the area. She moved in record time, and they reached the end of the community as soon as the clock hit 6:59. The old woman that owned the shop was just about to lock the door.

"Wait!" She stopped, turning to look at Sakamei and Naruto strangely as they stopped before her, completely out of breath. "I..." Sakamei stopped, trying to catch her breath. "I know you're closing, but I really _really _need to get something out of layaway here." The woman smirked.

"I'm closing up. You'll have to wait until the day after tomorrow." Sakamei ran her fingers through her hair.

"Please. I really need it. My boyfriend's mom, she's sending all of his gifts to Suna tonight, and I-he won't be back until next year and this is so important to me right now." The woman looked at the girl, who was near tears. She sighed, turning and opening the door once more.

"Come on in. No need to cry." Sakamei sighed in relief, following Naruto and the woman into the store. Naruto had no idea what she sold. Everything was locked behind wooden cases, the doors probably having been open when the store was open. She led them to the cash register, moving to the room in the back before emerging once more, a box the size of a hand wrapped in black shiny wrapping paper. It surprised Naruto that Sakamei had gotten so worked up about it. Whatever was inside had to be important.

Sakamei set her bag on the counter, quickly shuffling through it for her wallet. "I'm so sorry to make you do this. This gift is just really important to my relationship. More than you know." Sakamei still sounded as if she were going to cry as she began to take out the money, the woman stopping her by placing her hand on the younger girl's. She offered a kind smile.

"I recognized you right away. Don't worry about the cost. You chose a great gift to show you how you feel, and I promise you that I had them made to the best of my ability."

"What are they, male thongs or something?" Sakamei had nearly forgotten Naruto was there. The woman shook her head, watching Sakamei place her wallet in her bag before placing the gift safely on top.

"Thank you so much. I...Merry Christmas." The woman nodded, watching the two leave. Naruto could tell that Sakamei's mood had lightened as soon as they left, and he knew that they could enjoy the rest of the snow day with a group of his friends.


	29. Merry Christmas

I made the mistake where I put Mato instead of Mika when describing his girlfriend with the black hair.

OMG KYO, YOU ARE ONE OF MY MOST FAVORITE REVIEWERS EVER!

I'm sorry I took so long but I moved and didn't have internet and now I only have it at school, but my high school is an early college where I take college and high school classes so I can't do anything at all cuz I have no free time! I really don't like it anymore...

I'm trying to work on my other things and plan on having the next chapter up after this.

* * *

><p>Merry Christmas!<p>

Sakamei had woken up early Christmas morning. She had a feeling something horrible was going to happen today, and she could not shake it.

Sasuke had said that he wouldn't be able to call at all that day, and Sakamei yearned to tell him how strange she felt at the moment. She had wanted to sleep in for a while longer, but Krix stormed into her room and jumped onto her bed, practically dragging her out to open her presents with him.

She knew that today would be a long day.

* * *

><p>After she had spent time with her family she went to meet her friends at Naruto's house. They had all said that they would meet there with their gifts for each other. Krix had been happy to take her after she had gotten him a custom made box of pocky the size of a coffee table with different flavors that he hadn't even heard of.<p>

He left her with her friends and dashed off to meet his girlfriend, which she still didn't understand how he got. Everyone was there by the time she got there. They were all waiting for her to join them, each of them having already handed out their gifts.

Soon they were prepared to open each other's gifts. Sakamei had given:

Shikamaru: Bucky Balls which he immediately became intrigued with

Temari: Silver rings connected to a silver bracelet by chains for Temari (Which she had told her to get her) and a iPig speaker system (she _really _liked pigs)

Haku: An iGhoul speaker system (He had a lot of cute ghost things in his bedroom)

Naruto: a Nomark iDJ for his iPod (Naruto had claimed that he would become a DJ before next school year. The others doubted him of course)

Sai: An assortment of Buddha Boards

Hinata: A professional flower pressing kit

Chouji: A tin of different types of sweets she made with Mato and Toph

Neji: A gaming chair (Hinata had told her that he refused to spend any more money on them after Naruto broke the first four)

Kiba: A BB chain gun (He had fallen in love with Jux's)

Shino: A safe bug catching kit

Lee: A large pillow shaped like a plate of curry and rice

Tenten: Custom made Bullet For My Valentine, Skillet, Big Bang, and My Chemical Romance t-shirts

Ino: A necklace with a heart shaped pendant made like a lock with a key on the same chain

Sakura: A charm bracelet with things like hearts and stars and stuff like that.

The last two hadn't expected a thing from her, but she was kind enough to get them something, even if she knew she would get nothing in return. Her gifts were:

A book about Boo, the world's cutest dog, from Kiba

A necklace and matching bracelet with her name written in cursive connecting the multiple chains from Chouji

A deep purple Sony Cyber-shot camera from Shikamaru

Gummy bear lights from Lee

A silver mustache necklace and matching knee high socks from Naruto

A set of three scrapbooks in her three favorite colors (Gray, white, and deep purple) from Neji

Three different sized Domo dolls from Haku

A nail polish set with pens like the ones Sasuke had sent to her from Temari

A necklace containing a key, a heart, and a cross from Tenten

An origami butterfly in different colors from Shino

And a drawing of a majestic flower in blue and purple hues form Sai

She loved each gift she had gotten and she was sure that she would always keep their gifts. Soon they were forced to part to spend Christmas with their families before they would have to perform that night.

* * *

><p>Sakamei took a deep breath as she stood next to Shikamaru, all of the dancers preparing for their performance. She hadn't been feeling well once she had gotten home from Naruto's, and she knew she would have to be careful because her father was keeping a close eye on her. She felt better with the thought that Sasuke was with her somehow, or at least that was what she thought when she thought about her dress. She hoped that he was at least relaxing while he was in Suna. She couldn't imagine being forced to work during Christmas.<p>

Shikamaru gained her attention when he linked his arm through hers. "I know this is a drag, but are you sure that you're ready for this?" He seemed to be the only one that noticed that she wasn't exactly herself right now.

Sakamei nodded, giving him a small smile. "I'm fine. Just a little nervous..." _'About passing out on stage'. _She frowned at her thoughts, thankful that she had Shikamaru at the moment to support her, both physically and mentally. Soon Celia and Mito rushed towards them, making sure that they were prepared. With two down and three performances to go they hadn't gotten a lot of time to spare.

Celia moved to Sakura, who had been partnered up with Celia's nephew, who, to their surprise, happened to be Gaara's cousin Sasori. Apparently Celia was the younger brother of the boy's father. She didn't seem to upset with the pairing, but there was definitely a lot of tension there that hadn't been there the day Sakamei and Sasuke had seen them at the movies.

Soon the sound of small orchestra began to play and in the order they were told the couples moved to their places, taking their starting stances. Sakamei couldn't help but snicker at a couple of choice words Shikamaru mumbled under his breath as they began, the lazy boy doing so throughout every dance they had done but never missing a single step. He really was an amazing dancer.

She carefully glanced around the room at the other dancers. They seemed to all be enjoying themselves, even Naruto, who had dreaded being partnered with Temari in the first place. Ever since he had started dating Hinata he had been very giddy, which wasn't very good since he was hyper in the first place.

Shikamaru sighed as they prepared for the partner switch that Celia had added at the last minute, usually sending most of them into a huge clutter of people unsure of where to go.

"_Ne,_ Shika," Sakamei said quietly, her lips pursed. He rose a brow, waiting for her to continue. "Are you and Temari dating?"

The boy nearly tripped, his eyes wide as he quickly righted himself flawlessly as if nothing had happened at all. "O-Oi! Keep it down. I have enough problems already. Don't go around telling people about that." He called her troublesome beneath his breath, causing her to sneer at him before focusing on the dance again. She wouldn't have thought that they were dating already. They were never together in the first place.

Maybe.

She shrugged it off and instead released the boy's hand and moved to Sasori, seeing as Tenten was quick to steal Naruto from her. The red head was quiet, doing all he could to avoid eye contact. It wasn't long before he finally turned lazy eyes up to her.

"You're Sasuke's girlfriend aren't you?" A white brow rose but she nodded. "I am. How come?"

Sasori glanced around the room, seeming to make sure that a certain person as nowhere near. "I don't think that it's anything you should worry about if Sasuke really cares about you, but..." He took a while to connect his words. "Sakura...she broke up with me, and...she says she plans on getting Sasuke back. No matter what."

Sakamei pressed her lips, nearly missing a step before she broke out of her surprise. "Why would she do that? She broke up with him." She tried her hardest to make herself sound calm, but her rushed words sort of gave up how upset she was.

"She says she made a mistake, and if Sasuke really loved her as much as he used to say he did, he would want her back." Sasori stopped as the song ended and bowed as he was supposed to, reminding Sakamei to curtsy as she remained stiffened.

"Thank you for this...very important information, Sasori-_san_. I have to go there now." He nodded and watched her dash off towards Temari and Tenten, the two girls abandoning their partners for shrimp cocktails.

Her rushed pace caused those around her to watch her curiously when she stopped before her friends, both girls pausing in taking their martini glasses of cocktails.

"I have a problem." She shook out her hands the way she did when she was nervous, causing both girls to stop.

"What's wrong? Did you forget where the restroom was again?" Sakamei sneered at Temari.

"No! Sakura wants Sasuke back." She said this quietly, but Temari and Tenten heard her full on.

"WHAT?"

Their outburst caused those around them to silence as the girls gave apologetic smiles.

Temari jerked her away from the crowd and into a corner, speaking through gritted teeth.

"What do you mean Sakura wants Sasuke back?"

Sakamei was becoming a nervous wreck. "She said that if he had really loved her he would take her back. What am I supposed to do?"

Tenten rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry, Saka. You know that Sasuke loves you. He tells you that all of the time. Don't doubt your relationship now."

Temari nodded. "All you have to do to keep Sasuke is tell him that you love him. Show him that you care for him as much as he does for you."

Before Sakamei could respond her name was called by Celia. It was time for her to get ready.

The man rushed her backstage, giving her reminders along the way. He straightened her hair and made sure her dress fell straight before whisking her on stage.

"You'll do great!" were his last words before the lights dimmed and the room went silent, looking towards the still dark stage. She moved to the mic and took a deep breath, listening to Celia give the band behind her instructions.

"I'll count you down and then you'll begin." Once he was back stage once more the stage lights hit and Sakamei was forced to push her nervousness away. The instrumental of the song started off and she lifted her gaze to the side of the stage behind the curtains.

What she saw nearly caused her to miss her cue.

_Daijoubu itsumo chanto waratteru yo_

_Demo dare to itemo nani ka tarinai_

**_It's alright I'm fine, always smiling a lot_**

**_But even if I'm with someone, something is missing_**

_Ima anata ga koko ni kuruwakenai no ni_

_Aketa mado kara mieta mangetsu_

**_Even though there is no reason for you to come here_**

**_The full moon that can be seen through the window_**

_Suzumushi no koe ga sabishisa sasou kara_

_Osaeta kimochi mata sawagi dasu_

**_The cry of the crickets call out their loneliness_**

**_Suppressed feelings start to waver again_**

_Anata ni aitakute kurushiku naru yoru wa_

_Harisaki sou dayo_

_Dare ka wo omouette konna kimochi nanda_

_Soba ni ite hoshii_

**_On a night when I want to see you and become anguished_**

**_I feel like I am going to burst_**

**_So, to think of somebody is this kind of feeling_**

**_Please stay by my side_**

_Chigau sonna koto ga iitainjanai_

_Sunao ni narezu ni kuyashiku naru_

**_No, I didn't want to say those kind of things_**

**_It's frustrating that I couldn't become more honest_**

_Hontou wa sabishii dake da to kitsuite_

_Tsuyogari sugite umaku ikenai_

**_Truthfully, I realized it was loneliness,_**

**_Pretending to be so strong and stubborn didn't work out to well_**

_Tatta hitori unmei no hito ga iru nara_

_Anata ga ii no ni_

_Anata hodo suki ninareta hito wa inai no nee minuite hoshii_

**_If there is just one fated person_**

**_I would like it to be you_**

**_There is no one that I like as much as you_**

**_Please notice_**

_Anata ga issho ni itai no wa dare desu ka…?_

_Sabishige na senaka wo omoi dasu to setsunakute…_

**_Who is the person that you want to be with…?_**

**_I feel regretful recalling your lonely back…_**

_Anata ni aitakute kurushiku naru yoru wa_

_Harisaki sou dayo_

_Dare ka wo omouette konna kimochi nanda_

_Soba ni ite hoshii_

**_On a night when I want to see you and become anguished_**

**_I feel like I am going to burst_**

**_So, to think of somebody is this kind of feeling_**

**_Please stay by my side_**

_Anata hodo suki ninareta hito wa inai no…_

**_There is no one that I like as much as you…_**

_Donna mirai da to shitemo anata wa watashi no_

_Unmei no hito_

_No matter what the future holds_

_You are my fated person_

Applause rang out around her but her mind was focused on a single person in the room.

Sasuke awarded her with the smallest of smiles, but it was enough to make her heart feel as if it would burst from her chest.

As soon as she was allowed off of the stage she made her way to Sasuke. She was in his arms before he could comprehend what was happening.

As his arms encircled her waist he let out a soft chuckle. "I thought I was supposed to give you the flowers before you hugged me, but I guess this way is okay too."

Sakamei couldn't help but smile as she looked up at him, accepting the bouquet of roses from him.

"I missed you so much, Sasuke…"

Her emotion was held back with a soft press of his lips to hers, something the both of them had yearned to feel for so long.

Sakamei couldn't stop smiling as he placed the flowers in her hand. Red and white lilies made up the bouquet, making one of the prettiest combinations she had ever seen.

Sasuke pushed her hair behind her ear, processing her thoughts of the flowers. "Roses are cliché, right?"

Sakamei wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to hers once more. The raven's brow to rose.

"Maybe I should surprise you more often." She playfully rolled her eyes, allowing him to lead her off of the backstage platform and back onto the main floor, amongst friends and family that waited anxiously.

Temari pushed the raven away, or at least attempted, and stood between the two. "You were amazing, Sakamei. I bet you'll be giving your number to a lot of cute guys here." She knew that Sasuke could hear this but turned to him instead.

"It's nice to know that you're back. We've missed having you here, bastard."

Sasuke smirked at her. "Thank you, Temari. Now I know for a fact that you've lost your mind." She swung at him, missing purposefully before turning and moving to "bother" Shikamaru.

He watched person after person move to speak to Sakamei, hugging her and telling her how great she was. It seemed as if she had formed bonds beyond what he had noticed before. He hadn't realized that he had been staring at the girl until an arm was dropped heavily onto his shoulder.

Naruto smiled brightly.

"Hey, _teme_. It's like your girlfriend is famous now, isn't it? I hope you can keep up." Despite the fact that Naruto was playing around, Sasuke realized something then.

If Sakamei could grow so much in such a short amount of time how could he get their relationship to do the same?

As she moved to him once more he held her tighter than ever before, gazing into her eyes.

"Even if it takes a lifetime, I'll do whatever I can to make you love me."

And before she could speak a word he kissed her, his lips housing the passion missed in the length of time that he was gone.

No matter how long it would take, Sasuke would make Sakamei love him as much as he loved her.

* * *

><p>I might not be back soon with another chapter for any of the fics but I will try to upload for the other ones. The next chapter for this one is nearly done.<p> 


	30. Unexpectedly

The Calm Before the Storm

Sakamei remained still as Sasuke released a content sigh, his head resting at her stomach as he held her tight around the waist.

"You smell like apples." She rolled her eyes, unconsciously running her fingers through his hair. First day back together and he was already irking her.

"What? I'd rather not smell like tomatoes just to please you. I don't even like them,"

And that just so happened to set Sasuke off.

He looked at her with wide obsidian eyes, causing her white brow to rise. "You don't like tomatoes?"

Sakamei found this both scary and humorous. Her boyfriend was a tomato fanatic. "I could have sworn that I told you that before."

Sasuke sat up, searching her face for any hint of lying. "How can you _not_like tomatoes?"

Sakamei shrugged, having never expected Sasuke to act so strongly over a fruit. "Sasuke, I just don't like them. Unless it's some sort of sauce or something I won't eat it. The only thing I hate as much as tomatoes is ketchup. You don't like ketchup either so what does it matter?"

Sasuke stared at her for a long while.

"How am I in a relationship with you—?"

Sakamei struck him with a pillow, a smile playing at her lips. "Don't patronize me! Is it weirder to hate sweets or tomatoes?"

Before Sasuke could answer the latter the sound of his cell phone ringing caused the raven to drop back down onto her form, making her groan under his weight. Since he showed no signs of even looking at the phone she took it from his nightstand.

_Sakura_?

She ended the call immediately, causing Sasuke to lift his head from her shirt. "Who was it?"

Sakamei had to think quick on her feet. "It was Tema. Probably looking for me again. Don't worry about it." The raven made an uninterested sound and lowered his head once more.

That was the first time Sakamei had lied without a flaw.

She sighed and deleted the missed call from his history. Sasuke didn't have to know. Not now. Not if she did it because she loved him. Because she didn't want to lose him to the person he had loved before her.

* * *

><p>Sakamei had never felt guiltier in her life. She had done all she could to occupy Sasuke and keep his attention away from Sakura when they were at school. Each time she caught sight of the girl she tried to keep Sasuke's attention on her, whether it be instigating his attentive kisses or irritating him until he wanted to steal her away and keep her from everyone else for as long as possible. It was working so far, but she really needed to talk to someone about it.<p>

But since Temari was occupied with sneaking around her friends' backs with Shikamaru, Tenten was practically playing hide-and-seek with Neji, and Haku was looking for a boyfriend to show Zabuza that he didn't need him, her next best bet was Naruto. And luckily their teacher had cancelled classes for the day.

The blonde looked pretty bored since Hinata had gone to visit her grandparents in Kumi for two days, so she knew he wanted something to do.

Even if it was just listening to his best friend's girlfriend whine about how worried she was that Sasuke would want Sakura back.

"Naruto," Sakamei called, stopping before the table the blonde sat at drawing a very detailed picture of his blushing girlfriend. Who would've thought that Naruto knew how to draw?

He looked up at her with bored blue eyes, his fake thick glasses making his blue eyes look bigger. She sat across from him, tapping her nails against the table. "Can I tell you my innermost feelings without you falling asleep on me?"

The blonde pouted, dropping his pencil. "That was one time! And you were talking about your dreams so of course I would get tired!" She smiled at his defensive tone.

"Okay." She then frowned, trying to think of how to begin. She should have known by now that Naruto wasn't very patient.

"What happened to the telling part?" Sakamei stuck her tongue at the boy.

"Give me a moment." She straightened before nodding to herself and convincing herself to go on. "I've done something bad."

Naruto snickered, his blue eyes rolling. "You sound like a five year old that stole a cookie."

Sakamei groaned, trying not to humor her friend. "Seriously! I did something I shouldn't have. I…I delete the missed calls Sasuke gets from Sakura."

Naruto stilled, taking a full five seconds before her words became evident to him. "What! You deleted something from Sasuke's phone? That's against the girlfriend handbook!"

"I know! And I feel so—Wait, 'girlfriend handbook'?" Naruto didn't stop to let her in.

"Why is Sakura calling him anyways?" Sakamei twirled her hair around her finger, looking like a guilty child.

"Sasori told me at the Hyuuga party that she broke up with him, and that she was planning to try to get Sasuke back. She said that if he claimed to love her he would take her back right away."

Naruto chewed at the top of his pen decisively. "Well, now I see why you did it."

Sakamei couldn't help but laugh, despite the fact that she felt like she wasn't supposed to. "I feel so bad and I've been doing so much to keep Sasuke away from her since we've been back in school. I know for a fact that Sasuke will be mad at me."

Naruto sat a little straighter; his tanned face was serious for once. "I'll tell you one thing: Sasuke's a pretty personally-inclined person. He didn't let me into his room until we were seven, and I knew him since the day I was born. How'd you get his phone in the first place?"

Sakamei had never thought that she'd hear Naruto say 'personally-inclined', but she blinked it out of her mind. "He lets me use his phone all of the time. Most of the time when I'm at his house we take turns playing games, or other times he lets me look at the stupid messages his friends and family send him."

Naruto stilled. "He didn't show you the one I sent him the other night, right?" Sakamei stared. "The one about…your, uh…never mind! Anyways, the best thing you can do is tell Sasuke the truth. It shouldn't be too bad. He treats you like you're his watch or something, and Sasuke loves watches."

Sakamei groaned, but she knew he was right. "Thank you, Naruto, and I'll act like you didn't say anything about whatever message you sent Sasuke about me." Naruto smiled nervously before the bell rang, alerting them of their next class.

* * *

><p>Sakamei had yet to find Sasuke after his math class, and as she walked around during their shared free period she began to suspect that Neji and Gaara were with him.<p>

"Um, Sakamei-_chan_,"

She paused, turning and giving a kind smile. She hadn't even noticed that she had walked right past Syo. He caught up to her, his smile gentle.

"Hi, Syo. I haven't seen you in a while." Sakamei ran her fingers through her ponytail as the boy stopped before her.

"Yeah. I got a part time job recently. I didn't get to come out as much as I wanted to with you guys." He shrugged as he looked down at the ground, seeming a bit nervous, but Sakamei put it off as the cold. He looked up at her once more, giving her a small smile. "What are you up to?"

Sakamei glanced around as far as she could see. "I was looking for the others, but I can't find them anywhere."

"I guess we're all alone then." He rubbed his hands together as he tried to think of something to say.

"Wanna walk together or something?" He smiled then, nodding in response. As they moved along they talked about trivial things, like her dog Kanye and his dog Awry. They seemed to enjoy the same things, including finding their way into their owner's bed. But when he found out where she had gotten the dog his mood shifted slightly.

"Your boyfriend, what's he like?" Syo's pace slowed as he awaited her answer, causing her to do the same.

"Well, if anything he is very…" she had to think about how to say it without making him seem like a jerk. He was anything but (most of the time). "He's very…_confident_ in himself."

Syo laughed, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "So he's an egotistical jerk."

Sakamei was quick to respond. "No! He's not, I swear it! He's just…" she licked her lips. "He's egotistical, yes, but he's not a jerk. At least not when you know him." Syo didn't seem impressed. "He's protective of his things, and me, but he's getting better at it. He just doesn't like the idea of me being alone with other guys unless they're his friends…better yet, unless they're Naruto or Haku. Really anyone he doesn't think will try to come on to me."

Syo shook his head, his eyes roaming over her face. "Then I guess he has a reason not to trust me around you."

Before Sakamei could try to comprehend that Syo moved on ahead, looking back to her as he waited for her to catch up. He was quick to change the subject, becoming his kind, friendly self. When they began to round the corner they stopped, Sakamei almost bumping into one of the three.

Sakamei looked up at Gaara and gave him a smile, the silent boy nodding before he looked to Syo.

All three of them were staring at Syo.

"Hi, Neji, Gaara, Sasuke. I've been looking for you." She didn't manage to take her boyfriend's attention off of her friend, but Syo only stared back. "Sasuke, this is Syo, the one Naruto was with that time we were on the phone."

The raven's brow rose the slightest bit, the _smallest_ bit, but she saw it.

"You're Syo?" He stepped forward, causing Sakamei to groan before she caught herself.

Syo didn't seem fazed at all by Sasuke's glare. He stayed where he stood. "Yeah, I am. I met the others last year. You're Sasuke-?"

"_Uchiha_-_san_," The raven corrected, causing Syo to snicker incredulously.

Sakamei did not like where this was going.

It didn't seem like Neji and Gaara were going to do anything. Besides being huge introverts, they opted to stay out of trouble.

"Tell me, what were you doing with my girlfriend?"

Syo smirked, something she thought someone as nice as Syo would ever do. "Sakamei and I were talking. Nothing you need to worry about."

"Really?" She hadn't noticed how strong their demeanors were as they moved towards each other. "Because I think anything you try to say to my girlfriend is my business."

Syo snickered, so unlike the Syo she had known. "What is she, your pet?"

Sasuke's eyes darkened immediately.

Before he could move any closer Sakamei stepped between them, her hands pushing back against his chest.

"Cut it out! Syo, you're being so unlike yourself right now. And, Sasuke, get over it. I don't even know what to say to you."

He looked down at her with his charcoal eyes, catching her serious glare in tow. He took a step back, pulling her against him as he turned his gaze back to Syo.

Sakamei attempted pushing away from him, failing when his grip tightened around her. She gave him a few pointed words (as pointed as Sakamei could get) before looking to Syo.

"I'll see you tomorrow. I'm sorry about this. Maybe next time I won't be stupid enough to think that my boyfriend would learn to respect the fact that I have male friends." Syo nodded, turning with a pointed glare at Sasuke and walking away.

Gaara and Neji left Sasuke and Sakamei alone, the raven looking down at her before he pressed a kiss against her jaw. She jerked away, her hands still pressed against his chest to keep him away.

"Cut it out. I should have never gone looking for you. It's like you don't trust me or something." Sasuke ran his lips along her neck, holding her tighter at her serious tone.

"I'm sorry."

Sakamei stopped her struggling against him, knowing that he wouldn't take her seriously. "No you're not. You would do the same thing time and time again. You're the most selfish person I know. It's like you think I'd leave you as soon as I got the chance."

This caused Sasuke to stiffen.

He pulled away from her, his eyes narrowing as he looked her in the eye.

"Would you?"

Sakamei couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Of course not." Sasuke stared at her for quite a while, as if waiting for her to admit that she was lying. He then pulled her into his embrace, holding her tighter than ever.

"I love you, Sakamei, and I don't want to risk losing you."

She slowly returned his embrace, allowing him to hold her there as long as he needed. No matter what she did her words stuck at the roof of her mouth, and she couldn't return the words that he had given her.

Somehow she could feel Sasuke's mood dampen because of that.

* * *

><p>The next week went by without a problem. Sakamei felt as if she had been with him forever, and she didn't want to lose any more time with him.<p>

She moved beside him down the school hall, giggling as he smirked at something he had said only moments ago. His arm did not move from around her waist as he held her closer.

Sakamei pressed her lips. No matter how secure she felt at the moment she couldn't go without telling him what she had done.

"Sasuke, I need to tell you something." The raven's brow rose at her suddenly sad tone, but he said nothing as he began to turn the corner when someone bumped into him.

"Oh! I'm so—"

Sakura stopped. "S-Sasuke! I've been trying to talk to you for so long."

This caused him to frown. "Talk to me? For what?"

Sakura frowned then. "Did…didn't you get my calls?"

He shook his head. "I haven't gotten any calls from you."

"But I know for a fact that I called unless you changed your number. Do you check the call log?"

Sasuke pulled his phone from his pocket. "I didn't get any calls from you. Every time Sakamei checked—"

He froze, his gaze on the screen of his phone. Sakamei felt her chest begin to ache.

He knew now.

He looked to Sakura again, appearing as if nothing had surprised him. "Maybe it didn't get through. I have to go. Come on, Sakamei."

He grabbed her wrist a little too forcefully, leading her away from Sakura and out into the courtyard, turning on her as soon as the door shut behind her.

"_What the __**hell**__ were you thinking_?"

His words were spoken through gritted teeth as she tried her hardest to remain calm. "I'm sorry. I was just afraid that—"

"I _trusted _you! I gave you access to the one thing that I can't trust anyone else with and you delete my phone calls and _lie_ to me about it?"

Sakamei could not pull her gaze from the ground. "I didn't want to lose you to her."

His gaze was intense. "What are you talking about?"

She held back tears as she pushed her hair back from her face, trying her hardest to remain calm. "She said she wants you back. You said that you still loved her and I thought that you would want her back too."

"Then obviously you don't realize how I feel about you."

She turned her tearful gaze back to him, finding that his gaze was completely void of any emotion she had worked so hard to get him to show.

"_Sasuke_—"

"Do you know how hard it is for me to trust someone? I thought that I could trust you because you were there for me. What was running through your mind when you decided that you had the right to control who I talk to?"

Sakamei inhaled shakily. "I didn't want her to take you away from me."

"Then you were thinking of yourself. I bet you didn't even think about how I would handle things, did you? I've told you so many times before that I love you, and you haven't said it once. Now you think that _I'm_ the one that would leave _you_?"

She hadn't even tried to hold back her tears any longer. "I'm sorry. I was going to tell you but then you bumped into her and—I was just trying to keep you."

"After all of the time I've spent trying to convince you how much I care about you…I don't even know what to say to you. Just stay as far away from me as possible. If you don't realize how much I really love you then I don't want to be around you at all."

She felt shock consume her as he turned, feeling as if her legs would give out. She lowered herself to bench behind her, startling slightly when the door slammed shut behind him.

How could something so small have turned into this?

* * *

><p>Sakamei reached into the drawer of the nightstand beside her bed, taking out the box wrapped in shiny black material. She hadn't had the guts to send it to Sasuke. She released a shaky sigh as she opened it up, looking at the gift she had thought would change so much for them.<p>

The one chance she had had of proving herself to him had been lost in her stupidity and jealousy.

She placed it away once more, turning her gaze to her phone when it vibrated at her side. She didn't feel like talking to anyone at the moment. She had been ignoring the calls for quite a while now.

She looked to the name that appeared on screen, feeling stupid for thinking it would be the name that she was hoping for.

She composed herself before lifting the phone and sliding the green arrow across the screen.

"Hi, Naruto." She tried her hardest not to sound as upset as she was, but she doubted that it was a good show.

"What happened? Did he really get that upset when you told him?" Sakamei pressed her lips. So they knew. That was the reason they kept calling.

"I didn't get the chance to tell him. Before I had the chance he ran into Sakura and he found out for himself." She pushed her fingers through her hair, allowing the blonde to gauge this.

"…What did he do?"

She felt a smile appear onto her lips, despite how bad she felt. Maybe on the inside she felt like things would end somehow. Why not this way?

"He doesn't want to talk to me anymore." By Naruto's silence she couldn't tell if he was surprised or felt sorry for her and didn't know what to say.

"Don't worry. He'll get over it. He always does. Just give him some time." Sakamei doubted this.

"I have to go. I'm supposed to see my new doctor today. I'll talk to you later." The blonde said goodbye before she ended the call, rising from her bed. She changed out of her uniform, the entire time thinking about how difficult it would be to be around him next week.

* * *

><p>Sakamei stepped into the office after her father, looking around the quiet waiting room, the place small enough for her to see far enough. There were few patients there, some her age and others younger and older. They each looked up when she entered, and she was surprised to see a boy around the age of five sporting a right eye like her own. He smiled, seeming to focus on her with his left eye before looking back down at the book he was coloring in.<p>

She took a seat next to a woman wearing a respirator, a magazine in her hands sporting wedding gowns. The man that waited with her placed his hand on hers, covering the large diamond ring on her ring finger. She found herself smiling slightly at the sight.

"Sakamei," her father called, drawing her attention from where he sat beside her. She looked to him, the man holding a clipboard and pen in hand. "The doctor wants you to fill this out."

She accepted the items, the girl looking over the questions.

How long has your vision been this way?

She considered how to answer this, and then decided to answer shortly.

_I was born blind and began to gain vision around four. My vision has deteriorated this past year to ten feet._

Have you experienced heart problems throughout your lifetime?

She smirked. That one was easier.

_I've had nearly four heart attacks a year brought on by panic attacks caused by things ranging from nightmares to becoming worried about current problems._

She went through the questions with little thought, glad to have something to take her mind off of things when a woman's voice sounded from beside her father.

"She's your daughter, right? She's a very beautiful girl." Sakamei looked at them out the corner of her eye. Was it another one trying to flirt with her father?

And then she saw the boy with the defective eye move to her, accepting the jacket she offered him. Once he put the large coat on he moved to look for a chair, taking the seat beside Sakamei when the man and woman sitting there had left.

"_Ah_," her father began, "She's sixteen. It's more difficult taking care of a daughter than I would have thought."

He swung his legs back and forth, raising his arms every now and then in a failed attempt to move the sleeves from over his hands.

The woman laughed at her father's words. "Is she your only child?"

Sakamei smiled back at the boy when he smiled at her again, moving closer to her in the adjourned chairs.

"Oh, no. I have six kids. Her older sister, she's only started dating at nineteen, and she's completely committed to him. I'm afraid my girls might end up heartbroken because of that."

The boy moved over to her, placing a coloring book on her lap. He handed her a box of crayons, and she guessed he wanted her to color with him. She took out a violet crayon and began to color in the flower, the boy coloring in the bumble bee.

"Oh dear. That must really worry you. You're a lot older than you appear to be." Zero laughed then.

"I'm only forty. I married young. Right now my oldest is twenty-one." The woman nodded in understanding.

"Oh, I apologize for assuming then. I've never found marriage appealing to tell the truth. I've been in so many relationships that have ended badly that I don't know what to do anymore. Noka's father wasn't like the others, but I lost him in a car accident." She smiled sadly. "It's nice to have your wife to help you, isn't it?"

He smiled sadly. "I lost my wife also. I was afraid that I would lose my daughter to the same thing, so I was hoping that this doctor could help her."

The woman paused. "I'm sorry about your wife."

"I'm sorry about your boyfriend."

Sakamei looked to the woman then. She was a black haired woman with green eyes and shoulder length hair. She was dressed in a brown turtle neck sweater and black pants, her ankles crossed beneath her chair. Her peach skin was flawless, and her sad smile was still in place. She didn't seem that bad, but she looked nothing like her son.

"Senju Sakamei?"

She looked up when the nurse called her name. She stood, her father rising with her. "It was nice meeting you..." he laughed distractedly. "I'm sorry. I didn't get your name."

"Moriko. Matarashi Moriko." Sakamei looked back at the woman, who smiled kindly at her. She blanched slightly, giving her back a forced smile.

"It was nice meeting you, Moriko-_san_. I'm Senju Zero." He smiled at her.

"Goodbye, Zero-_san_, Sakamei-_san_." Sakamei moved into the office at the end of the hall before her father, the nurse closing the door behind them. It was a room with light blue walls and potted plants in the corners. There was a desk in the middle of it all and the man behind it stood with a smile.

"_Konnichiwa_, Senju-_san_, Sakamei-_chan_. My name is Yamato Tenzo." He shook her father's hand, allowing them to sit in the plush chairs across from his desk.

He was a strange looking man, that much Sakamei knew. He seemed friendly, but he seemed to have some sort of edge to him. She just couldn't say what.

"I've read through your daughter's medical files, and I have to say that she has the most difficult case I have seen so far. Could you tell me about the medication she was taking?"

Zero sighed. "It was supposed to keep her calm and lower the chances of her having panic attacks that led to her heart attacks. They made her act the way she had when she was a child. She was withdrawn and seemed…emotionless. The way she's been acting now was because we realized that she wasn't taking her medication anymore."

Sakamei avoided eye contact with the two men in the room, not wanting to speak on it. Her chest heaved slightly as her father handed over the bottle to the man, who took one into his hand before reading the label.

"I would like you to do something for me, Sakamei." She looked up at him then, listening closely to his next words. Her eyes widened at the words that left his lips, and even her father was slightly surprised.

"I want Sakamei to take her medication for the length of the week beginning Sunday."


	31. Can't Think of A Title

You guys, the laptop I use is retarded and for some reason it wants to mess up any time I try to send PMs. I'm trying to get back to you but the laptop is friggin old!

There needs to be more Haku!

* * *

><p>"Sasuke!"<p>

The raven blinked open tired eyes, wondering if he had really heard his name being called.

"Sasuke—_fuc__k! _**Stupid** emo bastard—_why are you always in the dark_?"

Sasuke sat up from his bed, rubbing his eyes. _What the hell was the dobe doing here_? He looked to the clock. _And at twelve in the morning no less!_

He stood and moved for his door, stepping out into the hall and flipping the light switch on. Naruto stood there, gripping his knee where he must have hit it on the table near him. He looked to him and straightened.

"What the hell are you doing here, _baka_?"

"Shut up, bastard! I'm trying to save you!" Sasuke's brow arched.

"What are you talking about—?"

"You and Sakamei, dumbass!" Sasuke nearly laughed at the fact that Naruto had called _him _that, but the words before them made him stiffen slightly.

"What about me and Sakamei?" Naruto scoffed moving for his room.

"You know what I'm talking about, _teme._ Don't act like the stupid one here. You _deserve_ to be called a bastard!"

Sasuke followed the blonde, watching him move to the mini fridge by the bed. "I don't know what you're talking about." Naruto faced him with an unconvinced look, causing the raven to sigh inwardly as he sat on the bed. "I know that I overreacted," he ground out, the blonde still waiting. "I shouldn't have said what I did, but…I don't trust people easily. I just felt betrayed all of a sudden. I didn't expect her to keep something from me like that."

Naruto went to sit beside the raven, unconsciously shaking his bottle of Coke. Sasuke hated it. He only kept it because Naruto liked it and would drink all of his strawberry Fanta if he didn't have anything else.

"She told me, you know? She felt guilty. She didn't know how to tell you. The other day, she told me that she was going to tell you...before she ran into Sakura."

Sasuke shook his head. "It doesn't matter. She shouldn't have done it in the first place." Naruto could never understand why his best friend was so stubborn. He stood, knowing that he shouldn't have been out so late.

"You act like you never did anything to keep someone you care about." Sasuke looked up at him, the blonde finishing his words with an air of finality. He began to turn and opened his bottle.

Only to have it spray all over the both of them.

Both males couldn't help but laugh slightly, but soon Naruto tried to force a serious look onto his face. "I'll make sure you forgive Sakamei, you bastard." He paused then. "I'm gonna take another one for the road—"

"Get out, Naruto!"

* * *

><p>Everyone was prepared for the day. The text that they had gotten from Sakamei had been heeded. They looked up when she entered the room, moving straight for her desk. You could tell that she was different.<p>

But she looked tired, with heavy bags under her eyes and an even more somber look on her face. They immediately felt worried about her. She paid them no attention, her gaze on the face of her desk. She pushed a hand through her hair, releasing a shaky sigh.

Before Haku could move over Iruka-_sensei _moved into the room, casting a glance at the girl before he started class. She worked silently, never once looking at those around her save for her teachers. There was something wrong with her. She wasn't the Sakamei they knew or the medication Sakamei. She was an emotional wreck.

Haku carefully sat down across from Sakamei at the empty table, the girl looking up from the papers scattered before her. He couldn't help but frown.

"What's wrong, Sakamei? Are you really on your meds again?" She looked down once more, pushing her fingers through her hair repeatedly.

"I—my doctor only wanted me to take one for the first two days. So I'm not completely stable right now." Her voice was soft; tired, as if she hadn't slept in days.

Haku pressed his lips, placing his hand on hers. "Why are you so tired?"

"I can't sleep. I never sleep when I'm on my meds." She let out a breathy laugh. "I sound like someone who just escaped from a psych ward or something, don't I?"

Haku smiled. "I'll go get the others. You shouldn't be alone right now." The boy left her, moving to the table she usually sat in with her friends. She looked around the room. She felt paranoid. She felt like people were watching her, and she wanted nothing more than to run away.

Sasuke looked to the table where Sakamei sat alone. She couldn't have been acting that way because they broke up.

_Could she?_

He wished he hadn't told his friends that he hadn't wanted to hear anything they had to tell him about the girl.

He watched Haku return to the girl with her friends, Temari smiling as she sat across from the girl. He had never seen her so distressed.

He wanted to comfort her.

He forced himself to look away and back at the paper before him. He had been so intent on ignoring everything around him since then that he hadn't even done his homework.

"What's wrong with Sakamei?"

Sasuke's eyes shot up when Syo of all people sat across from Neji, who sat at his right.

"You didn't get her text?" Kiba asked, glancing at Sasuke.

"Oh, no. One of the kids back home dropped my phone in the toilet last week. I'm without one until I can save up for another one. I shouldn't let them play with it as much." Sasuke scowled. Poor little orphan boy probably used that excuse to earn affection from all the girls.

Sasuke blanched inwardly at his self. That was stupid.

Naruto stopped stuffing his face with everyone's Jell-O long enough to respond. "She had to start taking her meds again today."

At this Sasuke's eyes shot to the blonde. "For what? I thought that they were making her worse?!"

Everyone at the table paused.

"I didn't think that you cared, Sasuke."

"Fuck off, Neji," Sasuke growled at the male. "Answer me, Naruto." The blonde appeared highly amused.

"Well, when I talked to her she said she was going to see her new doctor. He told her dad that he wanted her to take her old medication this week so he can see what happens."

"But she doesn't act that way when she takes it. She looks horrible right now."

"That's mean, Sasuke." All males turned to look at Tenten. She sat with her arms crossed over her chest, pointedly avoiding looking at Neji. "Temari sent me. Sakamei's taking half a dose the first two days, so she's a little disoriented. She isn't sleeping either, so don't do anything too extreme to bother her."

With that she stood, walking stiffly back to her table.

"She wants me." Neji stood, following the girl back to her table.

Syo watched after the male, cracking a smile as he tugged his gray beanie down. "I didn't know Neji was that bold." He then caught the look Sasuke gave him, knowing that he didn't want him there. "I'm gonna go…I haven't talked to Sakamei in a while."

He stood, leaving the table and moving for the same table Neji had gone to. Sasuke watched after the male, forcing himself to focus on his homework again.

Until there was another presence at their table.

"Could I ask you something?" They all looked to Shimon, who they hadn't heard from in quite a while. The male had been moved up to their grade that semester, yet he strived to stay away from certain people.

Specifically Sasuke.

Kiba blinked at the male, who was slightly cowering at Gaara's permanent glare. The redhead was just surprised that two of them had come to their table when Sasuke was around.

"Shoot, kid." The boy scowled slightly at that word.

"Is…Sakamei okay?"

Naruto grinned. "Well, damn. She has a lot of people who care about her, huh, Sasuke?" The raven glared. "Yeah, um, she's taking meds that mess her up sometimes. It's a long story, but her doctor asked her to take half a dose the first two days. She has medical problems, you know?"

Shimon nodded, glancing at the raven that glared at him. "Uh…thanks, Naruto. I'm going now." He wasn't bold enough to head for Sakamei's table.

Kiba whistled. "I bet twenty bucks one of them will be her boyfriend two months from now." Sasuke brow twitched.

"I bet three months!" Naruto piped up.

"One month." Sasuke scowled at Gaara.

"Sasuke-_kun_…" The raven looked to his right, slightly surprise flashing in his eyes. Sakura stood there, her head lowered and a blush at her cheeks. "C-could I talk to you?"

Sasuke heard Naruto clear his throat. He nodded towards the table where Sakamei resided, and Sasuke came away with '_do that and you're really ending things between you and her._'. Sasuke looked to the table then. Sakamei…she probably wouldn't care whether she was herself or not.

He stood, and he could see the disappointment in his friends' eyes.

* * *

><p>Sakamei forced a smile as Syo came into her view, the male offering a smile. He sighed as he lowered himself across from her, Temari having moved over.<p>

"Everyone's worried about you, you know?" She heaved a shaky sigh once more, her smile failing her.

"I'm fine. Just tired. No one should be worried right now." He placed a hand on hers confidently, if not a little driven now that the dark haired demon wasn't around.

"That won't stop them from doing so." She looked down at his hand, slightly surprised at the nervousness that settled in her stomach.

"My...my father says it won't be that bad. It's not a long time. It's sweet of you to care though." She gave a small smile. She was okay, though right now she was tempted to pass out on the table right now. She reddened a little when her friends laughed and she realized she that she had spoken outside.

"Maybe you should stay in the nurses office for a while. You could rest up there." At Syo's words Temari.

"He's right. The teachers all know what going on with you, so they should let you stay until you feel a little better." Sakamei frowned.

When he saw her hesitation Haku smirked. "I think everyone's just waiting for you to pass out in the hallway if you don't." Sakamei flushed at this.

"A-alright. I'll go." She stood, Syo immediately standing with her.

"I'll take you. You shouldn't go alone," the male said coolly to explain, though Sakamei's friends saw right through him.

"Okay. Thank you." Sakamei lightly gripped the sleeve of his shirt, just to keep her balance. The male didn't mind at all as he led her away. Syo's soft-spoken words calmed her slightly as they moved out of the cafeteria and into the hallway, so much so that she could feel drowsiness coming near and near. It had been years since she had been able to sleep while she was on her meds...

When they rounded the corner she lifted her gaze, surprise stilling every inch of her. Both Sasuke and Sakura stopped at the sight of Sakamei and Syo, just as the other duo did the same. Sakamei could feel her chest tighten.

That was it then. She should have accepted it sooner. She had pushed him right back into Sakura's arms...

When Syo gently tugged at her hand Serenei continued after him, unable to lift her gaze from the floor as she walked past what seemed like a fated couple.

* * *

><p>Sakamei heaved a sigh as she settled on the doctor's table, her father at her side as they waited for Dr. Yamato to return. She swung her legs back and forth leisurely, the bags under her eyes making her appear more tired than she was.<p>

"Are you nervous?" The girl looked to her father, as if coming out of a daze, and shook her head.

"I'm tired." Zero nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yamato-_sensei_ said he's been looking for a prescription to help you with that, one that won't conflict with your regular medication. Hopefully he found something today."

Sakamei hoped so. She began to respond when the door to the room opened, the man in her view as the room was small. Yamato smiled at the both of them as he moved inside, but he remained in the doorway.

"Hello, Sakamei-_chan_, Zero-_san_. I'm glad to see you again." He looked out into the hall before looking to them again. "Would you mind if a student of mine came in? He's dealing with something similar, and he wanted to help any way he can."

Zero looked to Sakamei, who only shrugged. She was too tired to do anything else. When Zero gave his confirmation he looked into the hall and waved someone over. Sakamei watched as he stepped in to admit another person. Her eyes widened.

Syo looked back at her with wide eyes before his face contorted into a smile. "Hi, Sakamei-_chan."_

* * *

><p>I know it's short, but I couldn't think of anything else...for now. R&amp;R!<p> 


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